What's Left of Us
by ThalioTP
Summary: Set in Manhattan, New York. Life in the walled-in community is what most people call "safe", but then it all went downhill. It all started when James got bit, things began to change very quickly. He must make a difference, or lose one more person he cared about. (M to be safe)(WARNING:INCEST)
1. Paradise

**THEN...**

* * *

"Check…" James said with his finger on his chin, he's staring at the chessboard in front of him.

Jane, his sister leaned over the chessboard. She moved her horse piece.

"Checkmate…" James finally in satisfaction.

"Ah, fuck!" Jane curse, she jumped back in irritation.

"Hey!" James warned "Dad said no swear words!" He pointed at her playfully.

"Whatever, man! We're 12. It's okay to swear." Jane leaned back with her arm supporting her.

James only laughed "Did Thomas Devin told you that?"

They both laughed, and as they did James looked from the edge of the apartment building. The sunset on the edge of the outside world, he could see the overgrown buildings outside the wall he lives in.

James noticed that Jane is cleaning up the chessboard they just played, she puts the board aside and sat next to him.

James looked at her at the corner of his eye "How's your relationship with Lucas?"

Jane raised her shoulders "Not working, I guess…"

James only nod.

"How come you don't have a girlfriend?" Jane bumped him in the shoulder playfully.

"There's not many girls here, besides, I don't think they can keep their eyes of Thomas…" James said, inside he felt a little disappointed.

"Those dumb bitches…" Jane said.

James raised his eyebrow "So they're the bitches, huh?" He felt it was okay to swear without his father around.

"Don't feel too bad about yourself James, believe me if I say that most girls would consider you." Jane rested her head on James's shoulder, she hugged her feet while staring at the sunset.

James looked at the outside world, most of the girls? Surely not the girls in the community, right? James thought again if there was anyone out there who is still alive.

"Thanks Jane…" He said, James too rested his head on hers.

"Speaking of which," Jane removed her head from James's shoulder "I would probably date you."

James smiled at her, Jane made a reassuring smile. But to James she never looked more beautiful, her long straight black hair drooping down her shoulder.

"Can we?" James coughed, he quickly added "I mean, brothers and sisters?"

"Dad never said there was anything wrong with that." Jane said hesitantly, her cheeks suddenly turned pink "What? You want me to date you?"

James rubbed the back of his neck "I-I don't know. I guess? You are beautiful… And cute…"

Jane giggled, she got closer to him. James wondered what will she do, Jane pulled his face closer to her. Then James felt his lips touched hers, Jane's lips were soft and a smidge taste of sugar.

They both locked their mouths for a while, James closed his eyes in bliss. Jane pulled back from him, James cocked his brow.

"But… Maybe we should keep this a secret." Jane whispered.

James thought about it for a moment, without him knowing he leaned his forehead a bit to touch hers. It did felt wrong, but at the same time he liked it.

"Yeah, okay." James reassured her, then Jane kissed his lips again. It was brief, but it was all James needed.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

James felt his shoe stepped in a puddle, he pulled his feet out with a plop from the mud. James wiped his shoes on a piece of mossy debris, he continued walking through the lush vegetation. Fortunately the tall grass is only as high as his waist, James tried to avoid another mud puddle by jumping from one large piece of debris to the other.

James saw something that caught his eye, he moved his messenger bag to his back to get a closer look. James observed the rusted blue object once he got it in his hand, it had a hinge on one side and reminded James of a pair of tweezers.

He looked up, several monk parakeets flying above him in a group. James traced their movements, they disappeared to the corner of the street. James heard the tweets of birds above him, somewhere inside the deserted buildings he guessed.

"James?" His father, Jeremiah called from afar. His lever action Winchester rifle strapped to his backpack fully loaded, in his hand he held a jungle machete to cut the grass.

"Coming." James called back, the object is put inside his hand. He trod lightly to Jeremiah, trying to make as little contact with the mud as possible.

Once he got beside his father, James showed him the object "What does this thing called?"

Jeremiah titled his head around the object in James's hand "Ah, this is… Um… This is a stapler of some kind."

"Stapler? What does it do?"

"It connects two pieces of papers together, it must've fallen from that building." Jeremiah stared at the leaning office building in front of them "But it's useless without the staples, it's the little thing you put in the stapler."

"How does that work?" James realized the stapler had an empty space under the handle "Does it work like an ammo or some sort?"

"Yeah, ammo. Without the staples the staples can't connect two pieces of paper together, just like firearms." While they chat, Jeremiah and James walked continued to walk.

Manhattan, New York is filled with lush vegetation like grass, vines, and wild trees like anywhere else on the planet. The buildings some of them had been crumbled up, Jeremiah told James that the old President tried to bomb the city once. James knew that long ago everywhere in the world were once proud and advance, but then suddenly the infectious mutated cordyceps took most of the human civilization 20 years ago. Jeremiah didn't want to talk about the first outbreak, James wasn't there but he knew back then it was far more terrifying than what it was now. He was born six years after the outbreak, he adapted.

James has always wanted to follow Jeremiah when he is clearing the city of Infected, to see what the outside world looks like. Jeremiah however did not agree most of the times, but he encourages James to prepare himself before he was ready.

James knew that killing an Infected is a tricky business, their community only take those who are properly trained can be a Sweeper. Jeremiah takes shifts every Sunday like one third of the community, today is third July 2033. And since James is 14 and a half, but Jeremiah successfully convinced the leader to let him come.

"Shhh…" Jeremiah put a hand to stop James from walking, he bend down in alert. They both had just entered W Thirty-Seventh Street.

James felt his wariness rising, he listened closely to the surroundings. There was a painful chokings which similarly sounds like distant clicking, James remembered what his father told him about clicking in the wild.

"Is that a…" James whispered, his eyes still observing the area "A Clicker?"

Jeremiah didn't answer. James stayed silent, Clickers are like bats, they hear by sound. James saw his father unsheathing his machete.

"Over there!" Jeremiah gasped, James quickly turned his head to see a Clicker crashing out of a building's window.

The Clicker limped after it went through, several glasses got stuck inside its skin. But James saw the Clickers to be much more horrifying with its mushroom melded to its face, the Clicker had been infected for a long time resulting in the giant growth on its head.

The Clicker made a terrible screech, it ran towards them in an inhuman speed. James automatically jumped back a little, Jeremiah jumped forward and sunk his machete inside the Clicker's head. The machete went out with a slash, the Clicker was left dead on the asphalt with a trench on its crown.

James looked up in horror, more Infected running out of the buildings around them. All of them had something growing on their faces, their clothes were ragged and bloody, and some of them looked like they had lost several scoops of flesh.

"RUN!" Jeremiah took James by the upper arm and they both dashed away from the scene.

Behind James, he could hear the sounds of them running and screeching. They turned left at a junction, and didn't stop running. The Infected didn't stopped, they trampled over each other as they chased. James and Jeremiah both stopped when they saw that there was a flooded gap in Eighth Ave.

"This way!" Jeremiah took James by the hand and took him to an abandoned clothing store.

They jumped through the broken glass panels and went inside, there was a dust everywhere and clothes scattered all over the grown. Jeremiah and James zig-zagged through the mannequins, James could hear the Infected's cries outside. They seemed to outrun them, James felt a hundred times more relieved.

"Where's the backdoor?" Jeremiah said as he turned on the flashlight.

The inside of the building became clearer, Jeremiah tip-toed to the back of the building. Behind the counter there was a door leading to the storage room.

The door did not creaked, Jeremiah peeked through the gap and lighted the inside.

"Christ…" Cursed Jeremiah.

"What is it?" James tried to peek but Jeremiah closed the door.

Jeremiah let go of his backpack "There's spores, luckily I got us two gas masks." He said in a whisper, from his backpack he took out two military grade gas masks.

James took one and put it on his face.

"Make sure that there's no way the spores can get in, and remember if it did get in. Don't. Breathe." Jeremiah said strictly. James had been warned about spores, he knew what it was.

Jeremiah puts on his own mask and took off his Winchester from his backpack, he loaded the gun and opened the door wide. James followed his father from behind, he couldn't see clearly from the dirty mask.

Jeremiah tilted his flashlight right and left, he then gestured to James that it's clear.

James can't see anything other than what the flashlight's showing, but he noticed that the storage room was untouched. The boxes full of clothes still sitting in different shelves, the light from the flashlight showed a lot of spores flying in the air.

Jeremiah pointed the Winchester forward, James felt a trickle of sweat going down his cheek. Jeremiah turned around the corner of a shelf, he made a scowl under his mask.

James went up to him, and he is staring right at the corner of the room. Where a body sat leaning to a wall, covered in fungus all over its body.

James felt a tinge of fear, is this what will happen to him if he got bit?

"AAAHHH!" James screamed in surprise, his heart jumped when suddenly two withered hands grabbed one of his shoulder and his mask.

James felt himself being dragged backwards, a hot searing pain was felt on his shoulder. James cried out, he tried to shake the Infected off.

Jeremiah shot the Infected, the blood bursts out from its head. James fell to his back, he groaned in pain

Jeremiah came up to him very quickly, he kneeled down beside him "Oh God! Oh God! Hang in there James! Just- hang in there!"

James looked at the back of his shoulder, a hot and open red wound. His hand tried to touch the bite wound but it was too painful.

"GAH!" James cried in agony. Jeremiah took off his backpack again, his hand searched the insides then he took out a roll of bandage.

"Take off your clothes! Hurry! Take it off!" Jeremiah said in a breath.

James is now leaning against the wall on one side while being topless. His father carefully poured rubbing alcohol on James's wound, James bit his lip while trying to hold the pain. The wound was burning, and burning, and burning, when it suddenly went cold.

"You okay?" Jeremiah said in a rather worried tone, he wrapped the bandage around James's wound.

"I'm fine…" James said. But he is not quite sure, he is going to turn soon "What are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Said Jeremiah stiffly, his eyes still focused on the bandage.

James didn't bother to ask again, he saw the flashlight and the Winchester rifle thrown to the floor. Then he sighed.

Jeremiah froze, he stopped wrapping James's bandage "Where's your gas mask?" He said in a low whisper.

James raised his brow, his hand touched his face, his bare face. James looked around the storage room, it must've fallen off when the Stalker had ambushed him.

"How the hell-" Jeremiah said in concern, his eyes widened inside his gas mask "-are you still breathing?"

"What do you mean? People turn in like two days, right?" James asked, when Jeremiah didn't answer quickly James became more frightened.

Jeremiah puts his thumb on James's cheek "People turn in two days by **bites**! Not **spores**!"

"So… What does this mean?" James said in a rather shaky voice. Should spores be filling his lungs by now?

"I don't know…" Jeremiah sighed "I don't know anything anymore…"

"How are we going to explain to the community?" James's thought of the worst.

"I am keeping you safe, and keeping them safe. We can't tell anyone, not even your sister." Jeremiah told James, he put his hand on James's bandaged shoulder.

James could not think of anything else, he could only think of his live is on the edge. It's only a matter of time before he turn, no, he can't turn just yet. James breathed in and out, it felt no difference.

Jeremiah and James gasped when there was screeching coming from outside followed by aggressive clicking, a Clicker must've heard the gunshot.

"Can you get up?" Jeremiah whispered.

"Yeah." James puts on his shirt and puts on his backpack. But he left his gas mask.

Jeremiah equipped his Winchester and flashlight, he pointed them forward. He looked around the storage room, there in front of him was a hallway that leads to the exit.

"Come on, you go first…" Jeremiah whispered. James stared at him for a while, he gulped and began walking.

Jeremiah covered James's back, the Clicker's noise went silent. They assumed it had left the building. James saw on the left of the hallway end, was a rusty metal door.

James turned the knob, it didn't budge "It's stuck, dad!"

Jeremiah tried to open the door as well, but nothing changed. He inserted a hand to his back pocket, and took out a small Swiss army knife.

Jeremiah went in front of the door, he inserted the knife onto the keyhole. He jiggled the knife while the blade stayed inside, Jeremiah pulled it down with force making the blade stuck inside the keyhole. Fortunately the door wasn't locked anymore.

Once they were outside, Jeremiah took off his gas mask and took a gulp of air.

James noticed they were in an alley, the grasses jutting out of the ground and trees growing from the side of the building. He held his shoulder gently, he tapped his finger on the bandage covering the wound. He gasped as he saw a figure on the alleyway next to him, a stag suddenly lift its head off the grass and saw James.

James watched it ran.

"Hey, come on. Let's go home…" Jeremiah came up to him, he looked at the hole on James's shirt "When we get there, cover your shirt hole with the shoulder straps on your backpack. And if anyone do see the bandage, tell them that you got ran over by a stag…"

"Dad…" James shook his father off "What's going on with me? Why am I not getting infected?"

"For now let's not worry about that, to me that's a good thing because you just scared the living light out of me!" Jeremiah said reassuringly.

He patted James on the back, he adjusted the strap on James's backpack to cover the bloody bite hole on James's white shirt.

"Where to now?" James said, he looked around the alleyway.

Jeremiah held his Winchester tightly, he looked left and right. He told James to follow him to another alleyway, they carefully tread along on the overgrown concrete road. The buildings around them are covered in thick vines, the window above them are broken as if someone jumped out of it. The alleyway was blocked by a rusting car, the front had crashed to the wall and the insides were black like ash. James and Jeremiah both jumped over the car, once they were outside the alley they arrived at another street.

"We're in W Thirty-Ninth Street probably, that means we have to go this way…" Jeremiah pointed to an intersection on their right, which filled with cars crashing to each other.

"I don't hear any Clickers…" James said.

"Good. That's good."

They both entered the intersection, the cars around them had overgrown grasses under them. There are more likely than twenty cars lining up across the Seventh Ave, they went passed a rolled over truck.

Neither did James nor Jeremiah spoke a single word, James went back to sinking in his own thoughts. How can he keep his secret from his sister, the person who knew him from top to bottom? James thought again, if he could manage getting Jane convinced for three whole days, that way he can prove that he is not infected. But another thought came to mind, how is he not infected?

"You okay?" Jeremiah suddenly said. He strapped his Winchester back on his backpack.

James looked up, his pace had slowed down without him noticing. He ran up to Jeremiah and assured him that he's fine.

Though he said that, his father doesn't seem to stop peeking from his shoulder to look at James. But James didn't bother to tell him to stop.

As they continued walking through the street, James wiped his brow from sweat. It was hot, Jeremiah calls this month 'summer'. Jeremiah tried to get his mind distracted, he thought of air conditioners, of their extraordinary capability to create false indoor weather. Then he thought of staplers, wondering on how it works.

"There, there's home!" Jeremiah exclaimed in satisfaction, James went beside him. They both stared in the distance, a tall ten feet concrete wall supported by metal supporters from the inside covering all entrances to the Times Square, where their community was built sixteen years ago. In the middle of the wall was a two layers of gates, a metal fence and a sliding metal panel.

They approached the wall that stretched between two abandoned buildings, on top of it were barbed wires, then a figure of a man with an automatic rifle came up to the top.

Jeremiah waved to the man, James stood still and acted calm.

The man strapped his automatic rifle to his back, he looked back behind him and gave the people inside an a-ok.

The metal sliding panel opened first, second the metal fence opened inwards. Two heavily armed man were waiting for them at the entrance, one tall and one broods.

"Hey Graber…" The tall man greeted them, Jeremiah nodded and smile while James followed his father.

James watched as the gates are being closed behind him, the community never looks so hopeless considering how all these people would react if they knew James had been bit by an Infected.

The Times Square wasn't a large place but it held about 93 men, women, and children from age 3 to 17. The buildings around Times Square are used for good use, the old restaurant is used for food storage and supplies, the broken down police department is rebuild and used for armory, and the dusty apartments is now used for housings. Some of the buildings though had been quarantined for a long time, and it was highly recommended to stay out of the inside due to the unknowable terror inside. People often seen inside their homes only comes out by breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours.

James saw many people chatting under military tents, the guards walking past him with hunting rifles and other guns.

"Come here…" Jeremiah whispered at James, who is walking next to him.

"Where are we going?" James asked, he saw Jeremiah changed route from their apartment.

"We're going to the pharmacy, come on…" Jeremiah said again.

James noticed they were heading to the TKTS. The staircase is now unused, the red is now shading and some of the glass panel railings had fallen off. James often like to see his father's photo collection when Jeremiah was still 19, it used to be very crowded, the Times Square. People go to work and home, visitors from other places called 'tourists' lining up in front of the TKTS.

Under the stairway, the TKTS is used to be a booth for people to get tickets. Now all the window panels is covered with blue tarps from the inside, the glass door is also covered by blue tarp.

Jeremiah opened the glass door for him and James, once inside there was nobody there only four hospital bed and a movable table. Jeremiah went to the back of the pharmacy, where there were rows of drawers stacked on top of each other.

Jeremiah looked around the pharmacy "Good, nobody's here." He said to James.

"What are you going to do?" James raised his eyebrow.

"Sit down on a hospital bed." Jeremiah said, while he looked through the drawers "We need to get you checked up."

"Okay." Was the only thing James could say, he went outside again and sat on the nearest bed. He put his backpack on the floor and looked at his hands, he played with his thumb, and he doesn't feel very well. His stomach felt like stinging, but he knew that was nothing, he had anxiety-aches sometimes.

James father came out with his flashlight, a needle, and a bottle of antibiotic.

Jeremiah sat beside James "Turn around." He said. James pulled his feet onto the bed, then Jeremiah inserted the needle to the antibiotics "This is going to sting."

James nodded, he waited and felt the needle touched his wound through the bandage. The pain did sting, but not that much. Jeremiah pulled out the needle and threw it to away, he told James to turn around again. Jeremiah began to check his eye.

"Hmm… There is nothing wrong with you…" Jeremiah said in a troubled voice, as if he was trying to solve a puzzle "I don't get it…"

James felt his eye being released, Jeremiah jumped down the bed and sighed. He puts on his backpack and puts the flashlight on the side pocket.

"But from now, you can't go outside yet." Jeremiah said in disappointment "I need to keep you safe from now."

James looked down, he enjoyed walking outside. Seeing urbanization blends with nature itself. Be he could only nod, he understands his father's will.

"Good, and please take care of your sister when I'm gone. I-I haven't told you yet but I need to work my shift on the farm." Jeremiah rubbed the back of his head.

James went puzzled "But… You're shift on the farm is next month!"

"I know! I know!" Jeremiah said guiltily "But food storage is going downhill, just last week a band of outsiders attacked the farm and took most of our crops. None of us died, and that's not actually very good."

The farm is located outside of town, where patches of vegetables and healthy Cattles are guarded by tall picket fences and farmers with guns. Sometimes the farmer changes, one goes home after their shifts done and another person takes his place until his shifts done as well.

"Just…" Jeremiah rubbed his temple "Take care of your sister while I'm gone for two months, alright? I'm really sorry James, I really am!"

James sighed loudly.

"Take care of your sister, please James?" Jeremiah kneeled down to his height.

"Sure." James muttered.

Jeremiah then hugged him "I'm sorry James, I'll be back in two months. Okay?"

James thought for a while, two months with him and his sister "Okay."

"Thank you…" Jeremiah let James go, James puts on his backpack and they both walked out of the infirmary.

"Dad." James began, Jeremiah looked at him "Am I having a slow infection?"

"No son." Jeremiah suddenly looked serious "You're not infected. You're a miracle! But…"

"But I can't tell anyone because they'll panic?" James finished for him.

"Yes James, remember that until I come home." Jeremiah puts his hand on James's head "Go home to Jane."

James watched his father walk away while he stood there in front of the door, Jeremiah looked back and smiled sadly before continued forward.

James looked at his feet as he walked back to his apartment, he walked passed a few army tents and people. They looked at him weirdly every time he went by, James is used to it.

When he reached the front door the apartment lobby was dusty and lit very dim, nobody had swept it for years so the floor had footprints all over them. James walked passed a metal barrel which used to be lit by fire, on the right he saw the restaurant door boarded up with planks of wood.

James used the stairwell door, the stairwell is empty but lit by candles on top of the railings. James walked up a few flights to the fifth floor, he pushed the metal door which had a number 5 painted to it. On the other side James then walked through a hallway, on the right there were doors and on his left were rows of windows where sunlight lit the whole hallway.

James stopped at the fifth door from the stairwell which is next to the elevator, he knocked twice and built up his confidence.

"Jane?" He called softly, he entered the living room "Jane, I'm home."

The living room had only one sofa and two desk, the place which used to be a TV is a mattress for Jeremiah's bed. While James and his sister Jane, took two bedrooms, and the bathroom is as a place for a dirty bucket.

His sister didn't answer, James went to check her in her bedroom. The he opened one of the three doors in the apartment, inside he saw her.

Jane's long black hair flying around her head, her clean face is beautiful as ever. The sheets on her blanket was barely covering her body, Jane is only wearing her black lingerie.

James stopped all his thoughts, he took off his backpack and carefully jumped to her bed.

He felt the mattress pushing up his weigh, he is thankful for the comfort. Though the heat made him sweat, James were too tired to think about it. He looked at the back of Jane's head, James uses his left hand to remove the hair from her cheek.

Jane sniffled when she felt James's hand touched her cheek, Jane looked behind her "James?" She said sleepily.

James smiled, then Jane turned to look at him. James looked at the ceiling, he felt his arm being hugged by Jane, her breasts touching against his skin.

"Don't you think you should take of your shirt?" Jane said while she snuggled with her eyes closed.

James paused, he just needed three days "In a minute…" He pretended to yawn.

Jane opened her eyes, she climbed on top of James and stared at his eyes. They both locked their eyes.

"How was the outside world?" Jane asked.

James chuckled "I think I won't be going outside in a moment."

"Why? What happened?"

"I-I saw some Clickers?" James said, he didn't told her the whole story but he didn't lie.

Jane arched her brow "I'm glad you and dad are fine. Where is he by the way? He's not outside, is he?"

"He had to go work his shift on the farm, I guess people there needed more men. And he will be back in the end of August I hope." James told her.

"Two months without dad?" Jane said in a rather worried voice.

"Yes." James rested his head against the pillow, Jane purred as she slept on his chest.

But James was still wary in his head, he couldn't let Jane knew he got bit. She would believe him if he said he was immune, but it wouldn't stopped her from worrying James.

James closed his eyes, he drifted off to sleep and the stench of his odor had disappeared.


	2. Far From Any Road

**_This is what I will be focusing on doing for now, but if you want me to continue my other fics let me know in the reviews. While you're at it, please send your suggestions, critics, or anything in the reviews. They are all acceptable. And, sorry if I wrote any grammar mistakes, let me know if you spot one._**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

"Remember what we practiced!" Jeremiah said out loud. Beside him was Jane and Aiden, Jeremiah's bearded friend and owner of the gun.

James nodded remembering his twenty practices with his father, he is thirteen years old and his father thought it was a good idea to teach him basic firearms, but now he finally uses a real revolver instead of a broken one. James went back to the front sight, his grip was perfect. Then pulled back the trigger. The sound of gunshot rang in his ear followed by a sound of shattering glass, James closed his eyes and pushed back the force from the fire.

The people watching James looked at the cardboard, there wasn't any hole at the cardboard instead the bullet went to shatter the red glass stairwell behind it.

Aiden laughed "Nice try kid! Try breathing slow and steady next time, eh?"

James grunted, he lifted his hand once more. He pulled back the hammer and the cylinder goes with it, the revolver sighted directly at the cardboard box. James was sure he wouldn't miss, but as he fired the bullet it only hit the side of the cardboard not directly in the middle.

James heard Aiden's hearty laugh on his far right, maybe he should try listening to Aiden.

James lifted his revolver in front of him again, this time he breathed in and out slowly. His eyes focused on the cardboard, somehow he felt his hands to relax. He fired the gun, the bullet dug into the cardboard box not moments after it was fired.

"Huh…" James exhaled sharply, he looked at his cardboard box.

Jane stood up from the sidewalk and went to Jeremiah "Dad! Can I go next?"

"Sure thing," Then Jeremiah turned to James, who is walking towards them "can you give your sister the revolver next?"

James looked at Jane curiously "You want to shoot too?"

"Of course I do, give me." Jane demanded, James laughed inside his head and gave Jane the revolver.

James watched her and his father going to the cardboard box, James sat down at the sidewalk. He watched Jeremiah giving examples to Jane on how to fire a gun, James turned to look at Aiden. A beefy man with a long beard, he wore a large red polo shirt and a pair of green cargo pants.

"Hey," James said, Aiden turned his head to him "thanks for lending us a gun."

"It's alright, kid. S'better to train you young! You know when all this crap happened I was twenty four, but I survived after all the bone breaking training from the army." Aiden lifted the bill of his cadet hat, thinking back to his past.

"What's the army?" James raised his eyebrow.

Aiden looked at him, almost perplexed from his question "Well! It's a… It's like a group of people that guards the whole country."

"Like the guards?" James said again, while looking at the far man standing on the top of the watchtower near the wall that keeps them safe from the outside world.

"Yeah, like that. But the army also helps other countries."

"Why?" James said.

"Why? Well, when another country is in a deep trouble, they could ask for help to us." Aiden explained.

"Every country has their own armies?" James asked curiously.

Aiden nodded "Every each one of 'em."

James felt something was wrong "Then how come the cordyceps wiped the outside world out?"

Aiden froze, he thought for a moment as if looking for the right answer "You see James. When people are afraid they do things." Aiden sat on the sidewalk beside him "Horrible things so they get to feel safe again. The cordyceps won, not because the army ain't doin' a thing; but because they were too blinded to choose."

James paused "Choose between what?"

Aiden sighed "Choosing to do the right and the wrong. I've seen them, they killed innocent people, uninfected ones trying to cross borders. They were afraid the infection would spread, so any men died as they find safety of their city. Not just the military, even the goddamn world had thrown away their humanity. The government bombing cities, even other survivors mashin' up each other's brains in. They were afraid, they be desperate, and they do rash decisions. That's why the cordyceps win, because we helped them."

"Is that why you don't join the army anymore?" James leaned back with his arm as support.

"Nah! I quit the army before all this happen. Did you know back then they have vending machines?" Aiden smiled "God! I miss cola."

"Yeah, I know vending machines, don't know how they works though…" James muttered.

"Neither do I! Up 'till now, never really realized how the little things I enjoy really matters…" Aiden furrowed his beard.

James stared at the distance, Jane high-fiving Jeremiah after she successfully put three bullets in the cardboard middle. James looked back at Aiden "How was life before the outbreak?"

"Well, it was good, real good…" Aiden replied "So remember James, if you ever get in trouble, as in neck-deep-shit-like trouble. Don't be afraid, even in the dark days. Remember that what you do matters, like all the little things. Try to remember what makes you happy, it clears your mind."

James smiled and nodded, he caught his father and Jane approaching him. James stood up "Bye Aiden…"

Aiden stood up as well, he received his gun back and a thank you from Jeremiah "See ya kid!"

James walked side by side to his apartment building with Jane, he peeked at the corner of his eye. Remembering what keeps him happy… Always seemed to come back to Jane, James is happy with her.

Jane caught him looking "What?" She snickered as she blushed.

"Nah, just thinking…" James replied back.

Jane didn't asked twice.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

he day after, James is already in the bathroom brushing his teeth. He spit his saliva to the sink, next to him was a bucket full of water, he plunged his hand in and lifted out a handful of water. He began rinsing his teeth then spat the water out.

James walked out of the bathroom with his shirt having wet stains after a shower, he yawned at the morning sunrise.

Then Jane came out of her bedroom, with her hair wildly messy "Morning James."

"Morning sister…" James replied back, head still drowsy. He sat on the couch.

Jane, instead of going to the bathroom, she went to James and lay down with him. Her head sitting on James's lap.

"Breakfast?" James offered himself to cook something for her.

"Later…" Jane yawned, she's still in her lingerie showing off her adult female curves.

James didn't argue, he felt comfortable with her. His thoughts slowly drifted away, he saw on the table beside him is one of his favorite novel, _A Stratagem of the Kingdoms_. He reached his hand to grab it, then he read the last page he finished.

As minutes goes by, James got caught in the moment where the main character _Joanne Summers_ got caught in a war. James felt Jane hugged her feet as she sleeps, he knew she was cold. James folded the corner of the page and put the book down.

He lifted his shirt above his head and removed it, the bandage on his shoulder was removed and thrown outside the window after he got up. The wound healed surprisingly quickly rather than growing fungus all over it.

James lifted Jane's head from his lap, so he could repositioned himself to be laying down on the sofa beside her. They both touched skin, James put an arm on Jane's shoulder, hoping to keep her warm.

Jane suddenly moved her rear end, which touched James's member.

"Hey, James?" Jane said, in a whispery sort of voice.

"Yeah?" James began to hold her tighter.

"I'm sorry…"

"For what?" James raised his eyebrow.

"For yelling at you the other week…" Jane said, her body seemed to lose weight "I shouldn't have been worried about you…"

"No." James stopped her "It's my fault Jane, I guess I was too curious. I know you mean well when you said you were worried about me going outside the wall…"

"It's just that, what if something happens to you? And I wasn't there with you?" Jane squeaked.

"It won't happen, I'll listen to you first before I do anything you think is rash…" James felt talking to his sister, is easier than anyone else. It's like talking to himself.

Jane turned around and climbed on top of James, he felt her sitting on top his lap and began cradling him. James felt his cheeks getting hotter.

"W-what are you doing?" James stuttered.

Jane stopped cradling "Just thinking, we haven't tried it before. Maybe… Now's the time?"

"No! Stop!" James exclaimed "What if you get, um, you know!"

"Oh come on! It doesn't work like that! If sperms can move, why aren't they tickling our veins right now?" Jane pouted impatiently.

"Only males have sperms, and females have egg cells. Not real eggs, cells that will turn into a baby once the sperm touches it!" James felt more uncomfortable talking in this conversation "And dad says no intimate relationships before each of us ready for the responsibility!"

"Dad also said he didn't know where cordyceps came from. What if he's wrong about this?" Jane fought back.

James can't fight Jeremiah, but he didn't want to pick a fight with Jane either "Are you sure about this?" James finally say.

Jane's eyes widened "Are you saying yes?"

"I don't know…" James's cheeks became redder and redder "D-do you want to?.."

Jane didn't answer, she reached to the back of her bra. She undid her laces and it fell to James's bare stomach, James gaped at her in awe. For the first time in his life nothing else matters, he wants her.

Jane rubbed her upper arm nervously "What do you think?"

James's wasn't thinking of anything, he felt his member growing more rigid. Jane hazel eyes stared at James's blues, she leaned down to kiss him in the lips.

James let his instincts do the work, he kissed her softly and their bodies became hotter as they pressed their chests together. James closed his eyes in bliss, he felt Jane cradling his jeans softly, making him moan in pleasure.

James felt Jane's tongue invaded his mouth, exploring every inch of his tongue. They broke off, leaving a trail of spit running down James's neck. James moved his head to Jane's neck, he bit, sucked, and kissed at her while running down to her collarbone.

They both sat up on the couch, Jane's feet locking themselves at James's back. Hearing Jane's moan inflamed something inside of him, he gripped Jane's body tightly to his as his lips kissed hers passionately.

They both broke off their kisses, James's and Jane's hand still wrapped around each other. James mind raced, what if someone saw them? No, it doesn't matter. But what if someone _did_?

"I love you, James…" Jane said softly, her forehead pressed against James's.

"I love you too…" James replied back. They stayed in that position for a while, nervous to go even further.

James remembered something from the back of his mind, his wound. It left a mark on the back of his shoulder, dark brown and cream at the same time.

"Jane?" James began "I need to tell you something…" He only needed three days, and he blew it. But to him it doesn't feel right keeping something from her.

Jane stared at his eyes "What is it?"

James paused, thinking before he speaks "What if I told you, that maybe immunity was real?"

"Immunity? As in, cordyceps immune?" Jane arched her brow.

"Yeah…" James felt more nervous than before "Crazy right?" He laughed.

Jane smiled weakly "You think it's real?"

"Would you've believed me?" James muttered.

"Well, it is a possibility… It's the way of nature, right?" Jane said, she tilted her head left and tight "If something exist, there should be and opposite of it…"

"Yeah, exactly…" James felt his breathing became calmer.

"Well?" Jane said "Who is it?"

"Who is what?"

"Who is immune?" Jane said again.

James rubbed the back of his head, not sure to tell her. Just in that moment, there was a knock on the door. James and Jane gasped softly, not knowing what to do.

"Hide!" James mouthed to her.

Jane nodded, she lets go of him and jumped down the couch. She crouched quickly behind it, away from view. James quickly puts on his shirt, as the second knock came he yelled "Coming!"

James hurried to the door, not knowing who was outside he became more wary. As he turned open the door, in front of him stood three girls. One had curly blonde hair, another had tanned skin, and the last wore a ponytail. These three girls are Jane's friends, she hangs out with them sometimes.

"Hey, is Jane here?" Tiffany, the blonde one, said.

"Yeah, s-she's just taking a bath…" He lied, pointing to the bathroom.

"Oh, well. Let her know to come meet us." Amanda, the one with tanned skin, crossed her arms at him.

"Oh! O-of course…" James stuttered, embarrassed.

But Margie, the shortest one with the ponytail only stood silently, avoiding to look at his eyes. They all waved him goodbye, and left the hallway as they entered the stairwell. James closed the door behind him, he looked back at Jane who is standing behind the couch still topless.

"Your friends came." James said in a plain manner.

"No shit," Jane said as she puts on her bra, she went to her bedroom after.

James watched her change into an oversized blue sweater which showed her left shoulder, she paired the sweater with a pair of jeans. James stared at her in agape, Jane walked out of the bedroom already wearing her black flats shoes.

"Do you really have to look fashionable?" James grinned in a trifle kind of way.

"What? Am I overdoing the sweater?" Jane looked down to observe her blue sweater.

James knew she was only joking, they both laughed it off. Jane went to the door "I'll be back in around sunset maybe, maybe we can continue our conversation then?"

James saw her wink in an alluring way, he nodded in agreement and watched her opened the door and left the room. James heard the door closed as he went to the window next to the kitchen, he looked out and rested his body on the windowsill.

His apartment room's window faced the outside world, in front of him James saw a small building under him all overgrown and looked like it's roof would fell in. James stared down at a herd of deer galloping on the grassy streets on the far streets, James felt the wind hitting his hair.

He walked away from the window, and as he did a loud noise came from outside the window.

" **Gathering at the event place!...** " The speaker voice said, James knew it could only came from the five speakers tied to a statue of George Cohan. If James could remember it right " **Gathering at the event place!..** " The speaker voice stopped after the second message, James went to get his black and white fleece jacket.

Jack locked the door behind him as he went out, he continued by walking to the stairwell.

Gatherings often held if something serious happened and the Leader must alert the people quickly, eight years old James had experienced being there when a pack of Infected broke through the Forty-Fifth Street wall killing several people, and the second time he had been there is when he was ten when the Leader announced the infected people's population had decreased and everybody there cheered.

James went down the dim lit stairwell, after a few flights he reached the lobby where he saw in front of the apartment was a crowd of people going to the direction of the TKTS stairwell.

The Leader often gives out a speech or whatever he wants to say on top of the stairwell. Though he is barely out of his office in his building, he would be seen picking out foods from the ration time.

James walked out of the apartment building and to the crowd of people, where they gathered around the stairwell in the middle of tall buildings. James could barely see from the people in front of him, good thing the Leader uses a stairwell or James would be climbing on top of everyone.

The mumbling of people seemed to stop, as if they saw something up front. James looked through the gap of two adults.

"As you all have known…" Said a large booming voice from the Leader, catching James's attention. The Leader, tall and wearing a trench coat, he had a red and white megaphone in front of his short boxed beard "Few peoples had been sent to the farm more early and some of you demanding to know why. Well I'm just gonna cut to the chase and tell you we are running out of food, Fjord had told me that we have at least three more weeks of supplies!"

A loud mumbling from the crowd came.

"Now! Last week a group of bandits invaded our farm and took most our crops and killed some animals, luckily nobody there was killed. But the farmers demanded more security to keep out more gunned bandits while the farmers grows some food, but crops isn't going to grow in one week and cows isn't going to be butchered until a female gave birth to a calf. This is how it's gonna be for a period of time, the Sweepers are going to search the city for food, hopefully some stags and a few canned foods. And there will no longer be breakfast, only brunch and dinner…" Said the Leader aloud.

As he did, the crowd boomed in a loud manner. James found himself cowering in the middle of people, hearing them disagree with each other is making him feel worse.

"I have two children to feed!"

"So that's why there was no line for breakfast hours!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Food's getting low, ma'am! Your children can do fine with just two suppers!"

"Everyone calm down!" The Leader boomed again "Now, we will need more volunteers! People who would go outside to get food, we will swept the ground bigger and we'll get the more supplies we will have!"

James sighed when nobody else volunteered except for the guards, he rotated in place. On his right he saw, through thin gap between crowds was Jane and her friends. He looked at her disappearing into the back of the crowd, the voice of the Leader was blocked from his mind.

"Excuse me!" He said, as he went through men and women. He caught glimpse of her black hair on the far back, James thought quickly and went out of the crowd.

He was standing on the sidewalk, swiveling left and right trying to spot her. He had a sudden curiosity of what she was going to do with her friends, James finally saw her running with her friends away from the crowd. They were all wearing backpacks, what are they planning to do?

He followed them from afar, they seemed to be wary of their surroundings. He looked back at the crowd, they were too busy listening to the Leader, when he looked to the front again James saw Jane and her friends walking into a building covered in tarps.

James waited until they were all inside, he raced to the building and stopped just in front of the tarps. He looked at the rusting sign on the ground next to him saying 'under construction', James ignored the sign and moved on inside.

Once there, he saw the only source of light were sunlight through unfinished windows, the rest was dark. He heard distant chatter up ahead, he skipped through wet floors as pipes dripping from above, and above him was a large space. James went even deeper, the room went even larger on the inside. He thought of a lobby, but the floors had sunken into the basement making an unsafe way down, and he saw glinting flashlights down below.

He hesitated to go forward, but he needs to see what they were up to. He slides down to the basement, he landed with a small splash when he arrived at the underground level. It was flooded as high as his ankle and very dark with tiny glimpse of debris around him, the flashlight guided him as he went to the right crouching.

He hides behind the large piece of debris, meters away from his sister. He focused his breathing while concentrating on their conversations.

"-this big! You would not believe it!" Said the echoing voice of amazed Tiffany. James heard them walking deeper as their feet splashed in the water.

"Dude, you did not touched it, right?" Amanda said in concern.

James felt his head flew with questions, touch what?

There was a pause, then a sarcastic laugh "You're kidding me right? Of course not, dumbass!"

James noticed the voices went a little muffled, he peeked from the top of the debris. The girls had climbed up some kind of broken large cylinder sewer pipe where waters dripping from the edge.

James hurried, but carefully kept himself quiet. He hid next to the sewer pipe, he heard the distant noise of chattering inside it echoing. But he hasn't heard of Jane's voice yet, was she even with them?

He felt his shoulder being pushed to the wall with enough force to hurt it, James tried to gasp but a palm hit his mouth and clamped it shut. He's too frozen to move, his vision of the attacker went blinded by the light emitting from the person.

"What are you doing here?!" Jane hissed. She lowered her palm from James's awed mouth.

James saw she too was wearing a backpack, with a flashlight strapped to her shoulder straps.

"Wha-? What are _you_ doing here?!" He fired back, he kept his voice low.

Jane looked like as though she would get angry at him, then she sighed and looked down. James raised his gaze with concern, he puts and arm on her shoulder.

"What are you doing here Jane?" He said, trying to release her from unsettlement.

"I-I can explain…" Jane began, she tilted her head inside the pipe looking for her friends "They… Asked me to be here, a-and…"

"Where are you planning to go?" James asked again, this time he wanted an answer a bit more badly. He didn't want her or any of her friends to get hurt, because he knew where Jane is heading.

"They," Jane flailed her hand hopelessly "Said they're going to go around the outside world, a-and I said yes…"

James furrowed his brows, but he understands why. Like him she was curious.

"Alright, I'm coming with you. Just to keep you safe." James said strictly.

Jane's eyes widened "Y-you don't have to…"

"Oh, I have to, alright. I've been there, and you haven't." James pointed to the sewer pipe, gesturing to her to go first.

Jane made a straight face and climbed up the sewer pipes, to James her expressions isn't one hundred percent predictable. But he can see she was ok with it. He went up next, the height of the pipe was so low he had to lean forward.

"Hey, James?" Jane said in front of him.

James intended to look down, avoiding his gaze on Jane's rear end "Yeah?"

"What should I tell them? That you came?"

"I'll do the talking…" James insisted, Jane didn't argue afterwards.

James saw and opening up front, followed by sounds of chatter. On the side of the pipe there was a large hole and James assumed it was his and Jane's exit, they jumped down from the pipe's gaping hole.

Jane went out first "Oh, hey Jane! Wow, you took so long just to-"

Once James was outside there was three girls, looking at him in surprise. James lifted his hand awkwardly "Look, I'm just here for Jane."

Margie went from surprised to realization "Oh! Y-yeah, of course…"

Where he was James didn't know, but wherever he is there were two railroad tracks on the ground. The area is no wider than his apartment, but long enough for James to assume he was in a subway track. The top of the subway tunnel had fallen down like trenches, and the sunlight lit them from above while the vines dangled.

"Well, since you decided to came along. We didn't packed more snacks, is that okay?" Tiffany said in utter disbelief, she puts both hand on her hips and glared at him.

"Hey! I thought just the four of us were going?" Amanda glared at Tiffany before moving to Jane in incredulity "Last time I checked this should've been a secret!"

Jane went highly ignominious "I-I…"

"I followed her here, I caught her before she jumped into the pipe and asked her what she was doing here. And since I'm her brother it's my job to keep her safe while our father isn't around." James defended her.

"Hell no! You're just gonna tattle us once we got back!" Amanda was still denying his presence.

"Why would I tattle you if I'm outside as well?" James crossed his arms. He thought he had the upper ground.

Margie went to James's side "I-I'm sure he wouldn't tattle, right James?" She smiled nervously.

Amanda gasped "Seriously Marge? Every time when he's around!"

"Alright STOP!" Tiffany yelled, she went in the middle of Margie and Amanda (before Amanda chokes Margie) "Unless you want to throw a party of infected!"

"Pack…" James muttered softly.

"If you want to come with us, do NOT tell anyone!" Tiffany pointed her finger sharply at James.

James sighed loudly "Fine."

Amanda's eye twitched "Alright, if we die, I'm blaming him!"

James stared daggers at her, he wanted to spat back but fought the urge.

"Hey Tiff?" Margie turned to Tiffany "Where to now?"

Tiffany went to grab something from her backpack socket, she unrolled a large map of Manhattan's subway routes. She observed the map closely "A-are we in… Forty-ninth station?"

James grunted impatiently, he pointed straight to the long tunnel "By the looks of the buildings above us, we're under W Forty-Seventh Street. That way is Forty-Ninth station."

Tiffany and Amanda exchanged looks.

"He reads a lot of book," Jane explained, she received an unsatisfied stare from James "A-and he has been outside before."

"Better get moving, unless we want to have a 'party' for the infected." James said sarcastically, focusing on the 'party' part.

James let the girls go first, he had just realized he had no weaponry or anything on him. The girls lit their flashlights as the tunnel went darker as the opening above them had stopped, they were mostly fascinated of how civilization before managed to create something so long and so huge (no joke intended).

Although James would rather stayed at home than being outside again, he hadn't gotten over yesterday's incident. But he had no choice, does he?

"James?" Margie walked beside him, James noticed she looked like she had a hard time gaining courage just to talk to him.

James saw her "Yeah?"

"Did your dad get send to the farm as well?" Margie said.

"Yeah, he did." James replied with a slight disappointment.

"Oh, my father got sent there too. Just two days ago." Margie continued.

"I guess people there do need more security, have you eaten today?" James said.

"Nah, that's why we're here. To get more food. Hey?" Margie suddenly went the shade of pink "I like your jacket, is it made out of cloth?"

James saw her twiddling her thumbs "No, cotton actually!" James gestured to his arm.

He took a while to notice Jane behind him, he stared at her while Jane tried to avoid his eye contact. Then she moved forward and walked beside James as well, to James he felt he was in an unpleasant position.

"Hey Jamester!" Tiffany called from the front, she and Amanda stopped walking.

James went to see what's stopping them, he saw the flashlights pointed a flipped over train after it crashed another train.

"Tunnel's block, what now?" Tiffany raised her brow, tapping her foot impatiently.

James looked left and right, then he saw a thin gap between the train's body and the tunnel wall. But then he thought again, did he really wanted to do this?

"Maybe we should just go back, the Sweepers are out in the city now. And we don't want to get caught." James tried to convince them.

Tiffany scoffed "Dude, there's a gap right there…"

James lowered his gaze.

"And about the Sweepers, they won't find us unless someone tattles us." Tiffany left a painful hint in her voice.

"Nope, no way." Jane said, she was already in front of the gap "We won't fit, it's a dead end."

"Seriously?" Tiffany exclaimed in disbelief. She groaned loudly.

"Hey, Tiff. There's no way through, let's just… What are you doing?" James stopped mid-sentence, he watched Tiffany paced back and forth.

Her eyes caught something on top of the train "Look! We can go over it!"

"A-are you sure about this?" Amanda said, for once she wasn't on Tiffany's side.

"Oh, come on! Don't be a pussy!" Tiffany began leaping from metal bars to metal bars on the underside of the train, once at the top she was standing on the side of the train.

James watched her jumped down the other side, he cursed under his breath. He went up next, he put his feet from metal to metal until he came up to the top. The side of the train was rusted and the windows are blurred, he couldn't see the inside of the flipped over train. In front of him was another wreck of a train, it looked like it had burned before.

He saw Tiffany's flashlight beam near a metal door on the wall of the tunnel, she was jiggling some kind of a lock in her hands. James didn't want to yell and attract something, but his fury hasn't faded yet.

He jumped down to the train tracks "What the heck do you think you're doing?!" He approached her.

As the others began jumping down from the flipped over train, Tiffany didn't seemed to care.

"Stop!" James grabbed the lock in her hands, it was locking the shed locks on the metal door.

"Hey! We are trapped here! Unless you can climb a train's roof, which you can't!" Tiffany spat at him.

"You are attracting infected!" James hissed angrily "So shut up!"

"Wait…" Jane entered the conversation "We're trapped?"

"No! Just have to go through this stupid door…" Tiffany told her. He turned to James "Do you want to stay here? Be my guest!"

"You know? You're being a huge jerk!" James flailed his arms.

"I haven't ate breakfast, dammit!" Tiffany took the lock from his possession and began to yanks it loudly.

"Once we go out. We go home." James grabbed her by the arm told her rigorously.

Tiffany locked eyes with him, until finally breaking eye contact. She wiggled the lock madly, but surprisingly the lock broke in her hand. She threw the broken lock aside and opened the door with a very loud creak.

Inside the door the flashlights showed a small hallway with stairs going up, Tiffany went to the side of the door "Hurry up."

Right before James walked in, he and the girls heard something from behind the second burned train. A painful screeching, screaming, and choking. James immediately knew what it was.

"Go! Go!" He ordered the girls and let them went inside first, after Tiffany he went inside and closed the door behind him with a loud squeak. The yells of infected outside made them all shudder.

"Where does this tunnel leads to?" James whispered to them.

Margie was the one to reply "My dad said he used this tunnel to go to a building upstairs."

"Her dad used to guard the under construction building back in Time Square," Jane explained to James.

"Alright, up we go then." James went up the stairs first, while the girls followed him.

Since he was up front the view was limited due to the dark hallway, but he saw another metal door on the end of the of stairs. As he touched the door it pushed back a bit telling James that it was unlocked, he pressed his ears on the door.

Hearing nothing, he turned to face his group "It's clear."

He pushed the door slowly, in the other side it was dark as well. But something was blocking the door, James pushed it with all his might. He crept thought the small gap on the half open door, on the other side of the door he finally saw. A body melded into the door by fungus, luckily it wasn't oozing with spores, but it still sickens James to look at it.

Amanda went out of the door "OH MY GOD!" She quickly covered her face on the sight of the mushroom grown dead body.

The rest opened their mouth but nothing came out when they saw it.

James looked around, then he saw on the ground next to the body. A bloody axe which he assumed it what killed the person, he picked it up and saw on the tip the blade was red and silver with sprays of blood lingering on the end.

"That's a fireman axe…" Margie said, finally getting over the dead body.

"Fireman axe?" James asked.

"You know, it's a group of people who-"

"Guys…." Amanda froze in fear in the back, she was looking away from them.

James and the others stared at what Amanda's flashlight was pointing. A back of a person, leaning down towards the floor, he twitched and writhed. The man's head suddenly shot up to stare at them, what they saw was so sickening, half of the man's face growing with fungus.

* * *

 _ **FYI : The Times Square is a sanctuary where it was blocked from the outside world by walls... There are two walls on both 42th street al the way to 50th street, there is also two on broadway and two on 7th avenue. So Times Square looks like a ribbon... (keep in mind that this is fictional New York).**_

 _ **Review please!**_


	3. Sun Goes Down

**_NEW CHAPTER! Sorry this one took so long, I had trouble rearranging the plot and character_**

 ** _Anyway, enjoy!_**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James held his cheek in pain, he picked himself up from the ground. Two older kids looking down at him, one of them kicked him in the stomach, making him choke and splutter.

"You stupid eight-year old! That'll teach you not to mess with us!" Said Tyler.

James pushed himself up with both hands "Give me back my book!" He spat.

Jason, who is holding James's original copy of _The Magical Child_ glared at him "What did you just say?!" Jason ripped a few pages from the book, and let the paper fall to the sidewalk.

James's eyes widened, staring at the ripped pages in front of him.

"You had enough? You f-" Tyler leaned down to grab James's hair, but his hand got blocked by James's sudden grab.

Tyler had no time to react, his hand was pulled down while James stood up. James kneed Tyler in the stomach once, when he wanted to attack again he felt his neck being yanked from the back. Jason flipped him over, James's neck still wrapped in Jason's arm. James squirmed trying to let go, he felt his heartbeat getting louder.

Then suddenly something made Jason let go of him, James kneeled down to breath.

He looked back and saw Jane, taking him by the arm and pulls him away from the scene. James looked back and saw Jason on the ground as if he had been kicked and Tyler picking himself up.

James squirmed out of her grip as she ran "Jane, let go of me!"

They entered their apartment lobby, their shoes blowing dusts from the carpet.

Jane released him finally, she threw him a look "A thank you would be fine!"

"I can take care of myself!" James said in irritation.

"You obviously don't, you chum!" Jane said angrily.

James grumbled and turned around, walking away from Jane. Then he felt his shoulder being pulled back, he saw Jane's face.

"Where are you going?" Jane said worriedly.

"I'm going to get my book back!" James said, he felt more anguished as more people came to look from the outside.

"What about me?" Jane pulled him back with more force.

"I don't want you!" James finally said, he had enough of being backed up by Jane "Go away!"

James stared at her long, only to realize Jane was building up tears. Her arms dropped to her side, with a sniffle she dropped James's torn book from her hand. James looked back at her in guilt, as he tried to touch her Jane stormed away from the lobby to the stairwell. Disappearing from sight.

James sighed in disappointment, he looked at the carpet floor where his book lay. James leaned down an grab it with both his hands, the cover was still good as it was. As he opened the first page, he came upon a scribble note on the top corner.

 _Happy birthday James! From Jane_

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

"RUN!" James screamed to them, the girls instantly ran the other way with James following them.

James looked back at the infected, he was screaming on top of his lung as he chases them with pure uncontrolled rage.

He looked at the front, James and the others turned to the corner. Around him was rusty pipes and carts just lying around, they dodged and jumped.

James saw a large stack of crates, he stopped and pulls it down trying to slow down the infected. He quickly ran again, heartbeat still fast and uncontrolled.

Then he saw on the end was an opening with sunlight spraying them from the front, they ran and ran until finally came out from the storage room of a mall.

James could feel his lungs burning and sweat running down his cheek but knew the infected wasn't dead yet, then he saw on top of the storage entrance was a metal sliding door. He jumped to catch the latch on the sliding door and pulled it down, Tiffany and Amanda went beside him and pulls it down too.

The sliding door seemed to be stuck "PULL!" Then the sliding door fell with a loud thump, right before the infected went through.

James went aghast as the infected's body suddenly collided on the other side of the sliding door, his hand shot out between the rails of the metal sliding door.

The hand caught Amanda's left arm, before she could scream the infected pulled her hand through the bars. Amanda screamed in agony as her hand is pulled and bitten by the infected, she used her other hand to push herself backwards against the metal sliding door.

James couldn't think, he saw her friends tried to pull her back while the infected kept biting into her arm. James told himself _be brave don't be afraid_ , his mind went on a quick war against itself. He raised his axe hand up, and swung it down to Amanda's upper arm just two inches from her joints.

Her screams became even louder, with one clean swing from James's axe her lower arm was removed and Amanda was thrown back.

Her friends went white as chalk, they backed up a bit as they saw blood spraying from her stump arm. James gritted his teeth in stress, he kneeled down beside her and removed his jacket. He wraps the jacket around Amanda's upper arm as she cried in pain, the jacket was in place and hopefully it stops the blood from flowing.

Amanda was still crying loudly, with the infected banging on the metal sliding door. It was too much for James, but he kept being calm. He concentrated on her until…

"TIFFANY!" Margie shot her hand up to catch Tiffany, who is running away from the scene.

James felt his blood boil in an instant "TAKE CARE OF HER!" He ordered to Jane and Margie.

James saw Tiffany running in fear from him, she ran past the seating areas. James could not believe it, she had just ditched them.

He chased Tiffany through the mall lobby, their shoes squeaked on the floor as they both dashed. James saw her heading to the front door, but before Tiffany could touch the handle she was tackled down by James.

"NO!" Tiffany screamed when her hand reached up to grab the handle.

James held her very tightly as she screamed "Why you little…" He said through gritted teeth.

"NO! LET ME GO, DAMMIT!" Tiffany tried to push him back but his arm lock on her was too tight.

"NO! Are you crazy?!" James was thrown forward as Tiffany kicked the floor backwards. He fell on top of her "TIFFANY STOP!"

She nudged him with the elbow on his side, making him feeling unbearable pain.

James held his hand up as he started to walk up "Tiffany…"

"DON'T YOU GET IT?!" Tiffany yelled at him, her head shot back up showing red watery eyes "Amanda's dead! She's bitten and you only gotten her worst!"

James felt a tinge of anger "Is that what you do with your friends?! What the hell are you even planning on doing here?!"

Tiffany made a disgusted look of exasperation, then she turned and headed for the door.

"Tiffany stop!" James held her shoulder and put her still.

"Get off me…"

"Your friend-"

"GEROFF ME!" Tiffany slaps his hand away painfully, she kicked the floor and ran out the door. Away from sight as she dashed to the right.

"No- TIFFANY!" James tried to catch her but he stopped on his tracks, her actions made him puzzled. He hesitated to leave the scene, but his legs took him back.

Tiffany left for good, he thought, she is going God knows where.

He went back to the lobby as quickly as he could, a part of him wished he could've done something more. On one of the sitting area, there was Amanda laying with her head on Margie's lap. She looked down at her friend stupidly.

"How is she?" James asked softly. Margie's head shot up, an expression of grief on her face.

"She had just fainted, I can't guarantee anything else though…" Margie said sadly.

James looked at Amanda's jacket wrapped arm "Where's Jane?"

"She's out back," Margie explained.

"What is she doing?" James's eyes traveled to Jane, she went back and forth with the axe on her hand.

James then saw Jane approaching them with an axe in her hand, she looked down to her feet as she walked.

James sighed and gave her a meaningful hug, he puts a hand on Jane's expressionless face.

"A-are you okay?" James said to her.

"I'm fine James…" Jane turned her head away "You know what, no, I'm not fine. I didn't expect that it would turn up like this…"

"It's okay…" He assured her. James knew she was confused and scared.

"I didn't listen…"

"It doesn't matter…" James reassured her.

"Where's Tiffany?" Margie asked James.

"She… Ran…" James said with a bitter taste.

Jane swung the axe in anger "That bitch!"

James and the others did not speak to each other for a moment, the light from the afternoon sun sprayed them with a hot summer temperature. James regretted everything, but he didn't want to punish himself over it.

"Let's just go home…" James said, he went to Margie and helped her getting Amanda up. Amanda didn't weigh much, so carrying her with two people was easy enough. Jane lifted the axe over her shoulder straps of her backpack and followed James and Margie from behind.

James led them to the front door, they moved one step to another making sure Amanda didn't fall. Because even though she weigh less than James it was difficult to hold her stump arm.

"Am I wrong?" James said to Margie, he just couldn't get the guilt away "For cutting her arm?"

Margie finds it hard to answer "You saved her, James. We owe you."

James felt a slight enlightenment in him, he nodded to her. They walked out of the mall to the streets, where the asphalt were filled with overgrown grasses and leftovers of other buildings. The trees growing out of the buildings, vines growing onto everything.

He thought that he was in W Forty-Ninth Street, on his left he saw an intersection of Forty-Ninth and Seventh Ave. He remembered all of the streets thanks to Jeremiah, he read all of his father's photobooks, tourist maps, and brochures from the old days.

He and Margie carried Amanda to the intersection.

"Wait…" Jane suddenly said, she quickly went to the front of them. She readied her stances as if readying to attack

"What is it?" Margie raised her eyebrow.

Then from the corner of the intersection came a figure which made them all jumped, a woman with a hunting rifle strapped around her shoulder came rushing towards them. James didn't know who she was, but he can't shook of the thought that she was familiar. The woman came to them surprisingly with concern.

"M-miss Belle?" Margie looked bewildered.

Then that name shot to the back of James's mind, she was the doctor on Times Square. He met her on his first trip to the infirmary, he wondered what she was doing here with a hunting rifle.

"Leave her to me!" Miss Belle told Margie and James, she took Amanda by the arm and Belle's eyes widened at the sight of Amanda's left arm "What the…"

Jane immediately threw the axe aside with a clank.

"Doc?" James went confused, unless she volunteered herself as a Sweeper.

Belle didn't seemed to be listening, she released the hunting rifle with one hand and gave it to James "Hold this, don't fire it."

James just stood there with the hunting rifle in his hands, watching Belle lifted unconscious Amanda to her back.

"Follow me…" She said, as she jogged to where she came from "Hurry!"

James and the others dashed to her, they ran through bushes and grass while following Belle. James felt a slight relieve that they met up with someone trustworthy, he put Belle's hunting rifle on his back.

They ran to the Seventh Ave, where they saw sitting on the sidewalk was Tiffany.

"Hey, I got your friend. Come on, let's go Tiff…" Belle told her.

When Tiffany's eyes met James she shot up like a bullet, James knew she was wary of him. Belle walked from there, she looked back and saw the others still frozen looking at Tiffany.

"Tiffany?" Margie couldn't believe her eyes.

"You left us!?" Jane said angrily.

Tiffany only looked down at her feet, James could see in her eyes the guilt and disappointment.

"Hey!" Belle snapped "She came to get me! Now come on!"

James however were surprised by Tiffany's sudden change of mind, when Margie and Jane left him with Tiffany they threw an expression of mixed shock and anger.

Tiffany followed Belle behind Margie and Jane, James saw her still troubled and not talking to them. He hadn't seen this side of her, she looked like as if one more angry gestures she would cry again.

"You're in so much trouble…" Belle suddenly said out loud, Amanda still carried on her back "Don't you have anything to say to your parents?"

They all looked down, Tiffany snorted under her breath.

"Can any of you tell me what the fuck happened to her?" Belle said, she was gesturing to Amanda.

James felt his stomach rising up "Uh…"

" _Well?_ " She snapped. Looking at Jane.

"She got bit! Okay?" James gritted her teeth "And I did what I had to do."

James stared at her sister, whose color's had flushed.

"You-" Belle ill-stared at him "You did what you had to do?" she repeated.

James didn't answer twice, he didn't want to.

"How are any of you feeling? Any sickness?" Belle asked to them all, trying to get her mind away.

"No." Said Margie, who is looking away.

"No." Jane muttered.

Neither did James and Tiffany answered, James looked at her again. Tiffany's still avoiding everyone.

James followed Belle on non-grassy parts of the asphalt, trees around them began to shed its leaves. James tried change his thoughts to autumns, he forgot the date today, was his favorite season of the year is coming?

He looked back at front, where in front of them a wall stretching from one building to another, this one's particularly taller than the other.

Belle lifted Amanda higher on her back, and stopped just in front of the metal gate.

James felt a little nervous, he pictured himself being locked in his room with Jane never allowed to go outside again, his father yelling at him, disgusted at him. Or even worse, get banished if they ever knew he was the one cut off Amanda's arm. He felt a trickle of sweat when he imagined the life he had to live through if all of that happened at the same time.

"Where the hell is he?" Belle waited, tapping her foot impatiently. Then she walked to the gate and banged her fist angrily.

"Where're the guards?" Margie asked Belle.

"I don't know…" Belle gritted her teeth, then she looked down in realization "Unless everybody's cleaning up the streets."

"Is it really that bad?" Jane said "The food supply I mean."

"It's not lasting, I can tell you that. But the problem isn't that, it's the-" Something stopped her from talking that even James couldn't make out of.

They all frozen still on their ground, they all knew something bad was going to happen. Belle stared at the far streets, nothing was there except for the incoming rush wind which confusingly made them all jump.

Then a loud noise came, James took a step back just like everybody. The noises of a large amount of mass banging constantly on an unmovable object, with every collision noise James could feel everyone else became more still and afraid.

Without knowing he was already raising Belle's hunting rifle up, the front sight is one line with his right eye.

Then with another thundering struck of collision, a giant, no, a horrendously massive creature burst out from one of the store's window. James felt his pupil shrunk in fear at the sight of the fungus grown humanoid, its body had grown larger and denser either from the piled rotting flesh inside it or the extra layers of fungus covering it. Its arms and legs are green and red and swollen to uncontrollable size, it's face was unrecognizable due to the fully grown fungus covering one-third of its face only leaving it's wide and gaping mouth.

James could only see it as a rage-filled, bloating infected.

The Bloater moved too quickly, it thrown something at him just when it charged with a sickening loud growl. James felt his body being thrown sideways before the projectile hits him and collided with the wall instead resulting in a yellow explosion, when James picked himself off the ground there was small specks of spores around him.

His shirt was being pulled by Tiffany, away from the wall. James began to run and so does the others, but it was a dead end on both sides. Jane, Margie, and Belle were completely separated from James and Tiffany, they circled the raging beast.

James took the chance to slow down and readied the hunting rifle, he kept in mind, the steps of using a hunting rifle. He cocked the bolt action, pushed it back and pointed it at the Bloater's back.

One bullet was shot, it hit the back of the neck. But unfortunately it made it more mad, James quickly ran back to avoid the incoming spore projectiles.

He and Tiffany got inside an alley, where they ran as far as they can from the scene. James stopped for breath, looking back he heard the rampaging Bloater's monstrous scream back at the streets. Where he were, it was cold and damp with grasses growing under his feet while tall buildings stood on his right and left.

He looked back at Tiffany who is sitting under a wall looking at her hands, surprisingly she just saved his life. James looked at her then back.

"We need to go back, Jane and Margie's in trouble…" He began, James knew he can't handle the Bloater alone.

"Why bother?" Tiffany said gloomily without looking up, she turned her head on the other direction from him "We can't."

James exasperated "They're _your friends_!"

"The last time I checked, there's an angry MOUNTAIN right back there…"

"Screw you and your drama!" James said aloud, making her gasp "Do you even know what you did? You left us! You're just lucky Amanda didn't heard what you said about her being dead!"

Tiffany stood up quickly, face closer to his "You don't get it do you? Where we live here? It's just an illusion! You don't know what the real world actually looked like, unlike you I know what to do when things like this happens!"

"Then tell me…" James said in irritation "Why did you bring us here?"

She didn't answer, for some reason.

James gawped at her in disbelief "You brought us here for no reason whatsoever, into 'the real world', you can't just ask us here and abandon us!"

"Alright, first," Tiffany shot her index finger to James "I did NOT ask YOU! And second, I did NOT ask THEM! I didn't even want them to be HERE!"

Tiffany only stared at him, cheeks puffing.

James snorted "This is bullshit!" He let out "But we need to go back, we need to help them!" James told her, he needs to make sure she knew that the situation they are in.

"You go back, you die!" Tiffany spat "This is survival of the fittest!"

"YOUR FRIENDS, TIFF!"

"DON'T CALL ME TIFF!" Her face turned angrily red, then suddenly softened "We can't James!" Tiffany said aloud "What if they're-"

"They're not!" James snapped, he didn't want to believe one second that Jane had bit the dust "They would've at least _try_ to save you if you were in their position!"

James looked back to the alley opening with a gasp, where without warning the Bloater came back.

James shielded Tiffany and stepped back, both of them stared at the Bloater as it squished itself between two walls. The Bloater went sideways and reach its hand out, but James and Tiffany were too far from reach. As it pushed himself forward its body was too large for the alley.

"Look, I'm giving you a second chance to live with me!" Tiffany hissed.

" _FINE_!" James spat bitterly "Let's get out the other way while it's stuck…" James muttered to Tiffany, who nodded. James put the hunting rifle around his shoulder, knowing the Bloater was too hard to kill.

They hurried the other way, away from the growling Bloater. As the sound of the Bloater slowly got swept away of their minds, James noticed that the alleyway was going wider when it bends to the right. James was growing more worried when he took the path, he lost his path when he entered a junction.

Tiffany didn't say a word as he moved left where the grass grew higher and vines covering every wall, the buildings above him were dark and shadowed as time slowly fades into the evening.

The alleyway were going darker and darker each turn and corner, the mud began to appear as they walk. All James could think is how Jane is doing right now, she wouldn't be scared like him. Jane would've told him to go forward no matter what, does that include of him leaving her behind and hoping she would be okay?

As they entered the back of a building, where around them was loading bays for trucks. James saw that there was a metal gate shutting them out from the streets, James approached it hoping that it was unlocked.

Tiffany pulled his shirt back, James looked back in confusion and irritation. Tiffany made a shushing gesture on her mouth, then she pointed her finger forwards.

James looked in front of him, his heartbeat fastened when he saw a man leaning down twenty feet on the other side of the gate. The man was choking and limping as it walked, James immediately knew what he was as it seizures uncontrollably. The streets were crawling with them, they must have heard something and started running around the streets.

James walked back from the gate, he tip-toed away from the loading bays hoping they wouldn't listen.

James then heard a sudden bang on the metal gate, he looked back with a sharp turn and saw a Clicker shrieking and screaming while its hands shot up to him.

Automatically the others began pressing themselves against the metal gate, James and Tiffany frozen in fear. The gate didn't hold all the infected's weight, as the hinges began to break James and Tiffany immediately ran back to the alley.

James looked back at the loading bays, the infected had broken through and began chasing them like a pack of wild animals. James let Tiffany go first as he stopped on his tracks, he put himself a distance between him and the infected behind him.

James took of his hunting rifle and pointed it at the pack of infected, who were running themselves over as they ran through the alley.

James closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, one bullet fired pushing him back a few inches by the momentum.

"Come on!" Tiffany screamed in fear as she pulled his hand backwards, James didn't looked back as he ran with her but he knew the bullet hits a target, he hoped it does.

James and Tiffany turned to a corner of an alleyway junction, James saw in front of him was a metal security door with another white door behind it.

"Here!" James said as he opened the unlocked metal door and the white door.

Tiffany dashed in quickly with James after, they closed the metal security door and hold it with all their might.

One by one the infected began piling up against the door, their weight were too much for both Tiffany and James. Then James saw the latch on the side of the door, he quickly locked it and backed away from the door.

James saw the infected pressing against each other painfully, but they were too busy shrieking and gnawing at the metal bars. Their hands reached out, but neither did James and Tiffany got grabbed.

James looked at Tiffany, who is looking at her hands in horror. James raised his eyebrow and walked closer to her, Tiffany didn't budge as her eyes locked on the red bite marks on her right knuckles.

James felt his heart hammered against his chest "D-don't worry, it's just a little bite, it's not going to infect you."

Tiffany didn't answer, her long curly blonde hair going down her face. Her eyes began to swell, and tears building up.

James didn't know what to say, he just rubbed a hand on Tiffany's knuckles. Tiffany looked up, her eyes gleaming with tears. James stared at her emerald green eyes, trying to assure her that she's fine.

James looked around the room, a kitchen with lots of stove and ovens and a pass through serving window above it.

James held Tiffany's hand tightly, he guided her away from the shrieking of the infected and to the restaurant. Their feet didn't stomp on the floor as it was covered with dusty rug, and as they walked cockroaches scurried away from the scene. The tables we're neatly placed but the chairs we're all over the place, those who were here had gone out of the restaurant in a hurry without locking it first.

They got out of the restaurant finally, with the cold evening air running through their skin. The relieving scene of the trees and grasses and streets made them all sigh.

"Where are we going now?" Tiffany finally said. Which curiously sounded like a rhetorical question.

"We're going back…" James demanded.

"You're still trying to save Jane?"

"Yes." James snapped "She's my sister."

Tiffany didn't reply back, she only let out an irritated breath. Her face contorted to a fearful like impressions, James didn't blame her, she's taking this very well.

James walked through the grass grown streets, he and Tiffany avoided watery cracks as they entered what looked like an unknown part of the city. James haven't been here before, he had forgotten where he was after he comes out of the alley.

The buildings around them are partly demolished, on the far streets there was a tall one which had completely fallen and hit the building on the other side of the street. A result of the outbreak, James thought.

James breathed in and out, keeping himself calm while trying to memorize the streets.

He looked back at Tiffany "Do you see any road signs?"

"All I see is green, grey, and yellow all over…" Tiffany replied as she looked up to the sky.

James went mad in his head, he is lost in Manhattan and was probably far away from home right now. But then his thoughts went back to Tiffany, not knowing her that much concludes to him that maybe she was hiding something. Why would she want to leave the community in the first place? Now she's bitten, will she be immune as well?

"JAMES!" Tiffany shrieked behind him.

James swiveled to her, then his eyes turned to what Tiffany's looking at. James panicked as he saw an armed man with an assault rifle coming up to them from behind a broken down car, James looked to his left and right and everywhere he saw was well equipped men circling him and Tiffany.

His arms immediately reached the hunting rifle.

"Drop your weapons!" One of the mysterious men cried, his face covered with his helmet.

James didn't immediately knew what he was told, he was too scared and confused when the men all raised their weapons at him and Tiffany.

The helmet man looked at his friend beside him "What should we do with them?"

James blinked, will the man kill him?

* * *

 ** _Please tell me if you think I introduced the Bloater too early here!_**

 ** _Please review!_**


	4. Everything Has Changed

**_So this chapter was updated much faster than the others, please review if you like it..._**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James crouched down behind a sniper rifle, behind him was Aiden watching him closely from the other side of the room. The bolt action sniper rifle rested in the windowsill, James rested the sniper rifle's butt on his shoulder. To him holding it from the back was quite heavy, though he was used to lifting heavy objects.

His eyes focused on the scope, darting the far windows from the buildings of the outside world. Aiden had practiced him before he was ready to fire, luckily he didn't have to fire anything else than the window on the outside building.

Then his living room door was suddenly opened with a loud creak, James jumped back a bit until he saw it was his father. Jeremiah had brought today's ration in a paper bag, his expression looks dumbfounded at him and Aiden.

"Aiden why is there a sniper rifle in my house?" He said to Aiden, who had a resting expression on his face.

"What? No 'arm in training him before going outside, right?" Aiden gave a thumbs up at James.

"No, he's not using a gun when outside Aiden. It's just a walk around the city, we are not hunting for infected." Jeremiah said "Wh-where did you even get these stuff?"

"The armory," Aiden said simply "That's where all the unused guns are."

"Aiden James is not qualified enough to fire a sniper rifle, he's not even ready to fire a pistol!"

James felt a little underestimated "Dad, Aiden had taught me everything."

"No," Jeremiah snapped "You fire that rifle the gunshot will bring a lot of infected running around the streets!"

"Yeah, that's why I put on the silencer." Aiden defended.

Jeremiah lost his words "Aiden what if he gets hurt handling one of these things?"

"I won't" James fought back, but knowing his father Jeremiah would not go down easy.

"James if you're really sure…" Jeremiah surrendered, he turned to Aiden "Aiden you keep an eye on him!" He ordered.

"Don't worry, he's going to be fine…" Aiden assured him by putting a hand on Jeremiah's shoulder "If you're not convinced, we can watch him!"

James heard the sound of bullet cocking as he pulled back and pushed forward the bolt action, his eyes focused on the single window on the far building. Can he make the shot, he thought. It was too far for a regular gun, but Aiden's sniper rifle is far bigger and longer and much more knockback when it has been fired.

What's left was to pull the trigger, he looked back the front of the sniper rifle. And the actual length from the silencer to the building made him doubt.

He turned back to the sight, where he saw the cross is located on the zoomed in window.

He pulled the trigger, and after that came the momentum. Which was strong enough to kick him backwards, with a loud pop from the silencer the bullet flew out of the sniper rifle.

James pulled himself together and put his eye behind scope, the window now had a round shaped hole on the window.

"I did it!" James exclaimed to Jeremiah.

His father looked rather pleased as he stood up from the sofa "Well, that's all for today. Almost got yourself pushed back. Aiden can you get that sniper out of here?"

Aiden walked up to James, who lifted the sniper with both his hands "Careful there kid, you should put it on safe first."

He stretched his arms as it was starting to cramp from holding the sniper rifles force after it was fired.

James watched Aiden leave his apartment room with the sniper rifle carried on his shoulder the door was closed as Aiden disappeared. James turned to Jeremiah, who is picking up his backpack from the corner of the dusty room.

"James, I have to go out to pack some things. Lunch is on the table, and don't forget to pack for tomorrow." Jeremiah said, he puts on the backpack and stood next to the door.

James stared at the paper bag sitting on the oak coffee table, there was no smell coming from it making him think that the food had turned cold. James looked up to see Jeremiah walking out of the apartment room without one glance at James when he closed the door, James looked down to the paper bag and stared it blankly as he wasn't feeling hungry.

He sat down on the sofa, his hand reached out to the paper bag. He looked inside and saw two cans of canned food, one tuna and the other was baked beans. He didn't liked cold food, he would've asked his father to cook the food on the gas stoves. Unfortunately the gas tank was empty.

He looked up at Jane's bedroom's open door, he saw on the foot bed was Jane looking down to her feet.

James had forgotten she had been here the whole time, he stood up from the sofa and walked up to her bedroom with the paper bag filled with two canned food inside.

James stood in front of her bedroom, her bedroom was dimly lit as Jane looked up to see him.

"Hey." James said, he wasn't sure what to say to her.

"So what, you're going?" Jane said bitterly, her teary eyes looking up hoping that James would say no.

James stood his ground "Yeah, you can come if-"

Jane stood up from her bed and walked away from him through the door, James eyes traveled as Jane walked around the living room.

"Jane," James tried to look thoughtful, he wanted to venture outside but the thought of Jane made him wonder. It made him choose. "Jane please listen to me, I'm sorry I didn't told you sooner…"

"No, stop." Jane snapped, her patience grew weaker "You never listen to me! You're just going to think me as… As….."

"I'm not thinking of you as anything!" James said, his voice becomes a sputter of words "I-I'm sorry I wanted to go with dad and didn't told you!"

"Yeah you should've thought of that before you brought a sniper rifle to our apartment room!" Jane fought back.

James felt himself sunk in his position "Jane, I'll be fine!"

Jane wiped her eyes, her face still contorted into aggression "What if something happened out there?! Do you know what I would be like if I heard that my dad, and my only brother got mauled by infected?!"

"Jane I won't be mauled." James took a couple of steps forward to Jane, he reached out to her trying to comfort his sister "I had training! I can survive!"

Jane pulled back, out of James's reach "I had enough! No matter what I say y-you're just going to do what you want! You don't care if I worry or not!"

James can feel his heart weigh more than before. He didn't fight her afterwards, his hand dropped to the side of his body, wishing that she would just calm down.

Jane looked at him with red eyes, she flailed her arms in desperate-like gestures. She stormed out of the living room to the apartment hallway, she left the door open and James with his feelings crushed.

James could only wonder where she was right now, he looked at his bedroom door where his backpack sits on the bed.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

"WAIT! WAIT!" James cried and began to stumble backwards as the men surrounding him raised the tip of their assault rifles where the line of fire pointed to his head "JUST LET US GO!"

Tiffany crashed to him as she took a step backwards "Now what?!" She whispered fearfully.

"Wait a minute!" One of the rifled men said, shooting his palm up.

James wondered what the man will do as he moved forward to them, the man had a violent face on him with his neck long messy dirty blonde hair.

"Just let us go, please." James shielded Tiffany from the man.

The man lowers his assault rifle and took something from his back pocket, James saw the man was pointing some kind of rectangular object at him. He pushed a few buttons on it and the machine beeped, the man looked at his machine with his eyes widened.

James saw the man turned to his friends "The boy's infected!" he exclaimed.

James felt sweat trickling down his face, how did the man knew he was infected from a piece of machine? He looked to Tiffany, who is also dumbfounded.

Then James felt the back of his head being hit by something blunt, James fell down with a thud and the scream of Tiffany. His head searing with pain, everything was spinning and blurry. Without warning one of the rifled men tackled James, the man pushed his head to the asphalt painfully.

"Quick! Check the other one!" The man said to his friend, while pointing his pistol at the back of James's head.

James felt his blood boil when he saw Tiffany struggling to break free from the rifled men's grip, James struggled and squirmed trying to grab the hunting rifle.

Then the rifled man who is tacking him tightened his arm lock on James, making him squeal. "Stay down!" The man ordered.

James must think of something quick.

"I'M IMMUNE!" James exclaimed loudly, enough for all of them to hear. The man who is holding Tiffany's grip stared at him. "I'm immune!" James said again.

"Bullshit!" The man who is holding him spat.

"Wait Ferguson," Another one of the rifled men said, James saw another man towering him. He pushed the other man away from James, and lifted him up by the arm.

James came face to face to what he assumed is the leader of the rifled men, the man had a sleek black hair and a diamond jawline.

"What did you say?" The black-haired man asked, his eyes stared into James's.

"I-I'm immune…" James repeated "I was bit yesterday…"

"Aw come on Morton!" Ferguson exclaimed in disbelief "You believe this son of a bitch?"

"I don't." Morton said simply, looking at Ferguson sharply. He turned to James, who is barely even knew the situation.

"Wh- Hey!" James felt his body being spun around by Morton, then he felt Morton pulled down his shirt's back collar with a painful yank. James could feel that Morton had exposed his bite scar on the back of his shoulder.

"Look!" Ferguson pointed to James's scar "Bite mark!" He barked.

"Which isn't getting worst, somehow…" Morton quickly fought back. James felt the grip on his hand was released.

James took a step back, he looked at Tiffany who is staring at him with a thunder-struck expression. James could only think of an excuse, Tiffany hasn't seen his scar up until now.

"Boy!" Morton called, James turned to look at him.

James, feeling wary and weird being stared at by all Morton's men. He went beside Tiffany while his eyes still looking at Morton, wondering what he want.

"You know how to get home?" Morton asked.

"Yeah." James lied.

"You're lost aren't you?"

James lowered his gaze, he prepared himself for what will happen next. He looked at the people around him, all of them lowered their weapons.

"How about this." Morton began, his eyes traveled from one of his men to the other "We take you to Salt Lake City… Why? What if I told you-"

"Pass!" James said angrily, he wasn't planning on going anywhere else than home.

Morton stared at James, eyebrows crossed. Then he continued "What if I told you that we can save the world?"

James raised his eyebrow, where was Morton going with this? He changed his thoughts into one thing, Jane.

Ferguson looked taken aback "You're _serious_?! This boy can kill us any second!"

"What did Marlene said, Ferg?" Morton fought, without looking at Ferguson "'I've got an immune at Boston'?"

" _And you believe her_?" Ferguson got closer to Morton, which was a bad move.

"Ferguson. Stand. Down." Morton snapped fiercely, then he looked back at James.

"I told you…" James said again, this time he felt braver "I am not going anywhere…"

"Morton?" One Morton's men walked closer, observing Tiffany closely. "Look, the girl..."

James looked at Tiffany as well, he saw her rushing to cover her hand by her back.

Morton turned his eyes to her, his eyebrows furrowed slightly and then broke apart as if he had remembered something. James tried to figure out what was happening, he looked at Tiffany and then back to Morton.

"Can't be her, can it?" One of the men muttered to the other.

"Let's find out." Ferguson stomped up to them.

Then a screech of an Infected broke the silence, they all took a slight jump. Even James had to swivel on the ground to find out where the Infected were.

"THERE!" Morton shouted and pointed behind James and Jane.

James, Tiffany, and some of Morton's men went to where Morton was pointing. Most of them raised their weapons in a surprise when several infected Runners dashed to them from the other side of the street, gunshots were fired and it only made a lot more infected came out of their hidings.

Distraction, James thought. A perfect chance to escape.

James pulled Tiffany's hand in an instant. And took her running away from the scene, they both dashed away from Morton and his men as they were busy from the incoming pack of infected.

James looked back but didn't stop running, he turned left on an intersection. Tiffany kept her hand tight to James as they both ran for their lives, they passed rusty unmoving cars and jump over cracks. What was all that about? James thought, why were they looking at Tiffany like that.

James felt his lungs burning, he looked around his surround as he ran. There was a street sign, and he was going the right way.

"James wait!" Tiffany said aloud, James slowed down and stopped on a patch of grass growing on a sidewalk. They both stood under the dark sky.

"What's wrong?" James said in a worried tone, he was running out of breaths and so does Tiffany.

Tiffany only showed her hands to James, and her right hand where her bite mark is was slowly showing spots and rashes. Morton was right, the only the un-immune ones that if they got bit it would turn even worst.

"Oh my God…" Was the only thing James could say, he began to empathize for Tiffany.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tiffany looked up to him, eyes sorrowful looking for hope "W-why didn't you tell anyone you we're bitten?"

James sighed "I didn't know I was immune, actually. I always thought that I would've turned suddenly when nobody notices, that's why I didn't tell anyone."

It was a lie, James's father knew and the reason he kept his condition a secret is because he was only scared that Jane too, would be scared. Though he didn't want to be executed as well.

Tiffany looked at James's hands holding hers thoughtfully.

"Let's go home…" James said, he was trying to assure her everything was going to be fine.

"No! Let go of me!" Tiffany snapped angrily, she slapped his hand out of the way. "I-I... I have to go back!..."

James opened his mouth, but no words came out. Then he stared at Tiffany's eyes "No, I'll share my immunity. I-I'll save you!"

Tiffany let go of his hand, she wasn't look so convinced. Tiffany took a step back "It's not that! Just go!"

James raised his eyebrow "Where are you going?"

"I can't stay at home, I'll threaten everyone." Tiffany said, eyes locked on her knuckles. "And you won't understand. I just have to go back..."

James felt his heart sank "No! We'll fix this!"

"Don't come closer!" Tiffany shouted, she paused as if picking up words to say "Just go away..."

"Tiffany listen-"

"Just go…"

"I am not-"

"JUST GO!" Tiffany screamed on top of her lungs.

James stepped back in shock, watching her glare at him that way made him shrunk lower than ever. In the distance he heard painful shrieking of many infected, on the other side of the street he saw a pack of infected including a Clicker bursting out of the building.

James had left the hunting rifle, with Morton.

Then what came after was more shocking, James's eyes widened when Tiffany turned around and ran. Towards the Infected.

This time it was completely hopeless to go after her, two times she had abandoned him. James could only watch her disappear with her backpack and totally unarmed, behind her was the pack of infected.

James ran at the opposite direction, with his body totally weighing from the words of his conscience, telling him over and over again that he could've done something. Then again he had no idea what came over her, what had just happened?

James didn't look back as he turned left again on another intersection, nor did he heard the infected. All he heard was the crickets, and the wind rushing through as he ran.

Then his eyes filled with hope after a heavy day, in front of him was a wall stretching from one building to the other. Blocking the entire road. The same wall where he and Tiffany encountered the Bloater and ran away from it.

But something was wrong.

The metal gate was open and somehow bended inwards, both the fence door and the panel door. James hurried there even though he felt like he was going to pass out, when he is almost at the wall he saw from the gap of the gates.

James went to the other side of the wall, the Times Square was different. There was bodies on the ground spattered in blood, their faces was unseen by the shadows of the night, and a few of them have their faces torn apart.

James stumbled back in fear, he lost his balance and fell backwards. His breaths began to speed, his heart hammered. His eyes caught the living humans that was left roaming in the streets, had turned into Runners.

James crawled backwards quickly, as he got outside the Times Square James leaned back against the metal gate. Pupils shrinking in fear, he covered his mouth from screaming. There wasn't many of them, he tried to convince himself that only a few of them died.

James brought his knees closer to his chest, he started to breathe slow and steady, hoping that the Runners will never spot him.

How many had died? Surely Jane wasn't one of them.

Then from inside the Times Square, he heard a loud beastlike cry. Which can only come from one thing, a Bloater. James heard the Bloater stomping around the Times Square, its pace slowed and fastened unsteadily.

James didn't want to stay long, the sun had vanished and the city had gone dark by night. He walked away from the wall, away from his long hoped home.

James held his body together, the jacket didn't stop the cold. His vision wasn't working, he was starting to crash into trees and cars. He didn't know where he was going, hopefully far from infected.

He wished Tiffany was here, he never felt so alone and vulnerable.

Where was Jane? James thought, she didn't made into the wall earlier. Did she?

James looked to the sky, which was the only thing brighter than the surroundings. Stars gleaming bright above him as James stood still in the middle of an intersection, he began to walk again.

His mind went blank, no thoughts came. Only far flung hopes.

James felt a ray of light shining the left side of his body, he covered his eyes to block away the blinding flash. Wondering who was shining their flashlight at him, he thought it was one of Morton's men.

The person lowers the flashlight, showing the face of Jane. Her face was dirty unlike the times when she was natural clear, her beautiful black hair drooping down her shoulders. Her hazel eyes gaped at James's face in disbelief.

Without warning she went up and threw her arms at James, James held her tightly not wanting to let her go again. Jane lifted her head up with her arms still wrapped around him, she kissed James on the lips tenderly, spreading the feeling of relief to James.

James closed his eyes and thanked the God. Feeling Jane's lips which didn't part from his was more than to make him happy, James held her tighter.

Jane broke off the kiss, she looked down to his chest and rested her head there.

"I thought…" Jane sobbed "I thought…"

James hugged her tightly, keeping her safe and with comfort "I'm alright, I'm alright…"

"No! I thought you were dead!" Jane looked up, she tried to punch his chest but her strength dropped.

"I'm not, Jane. It's alright." James sniffed her hair, her signature smell filled his nose.

Jane panted, James let go of her while still holding her hand. Jane was wearing the same sweater, jeans, and backpack when they first parted, but she had the expression of hopelessness and grief.

Jane began to break apart, tears began to build up as she put both her hands to hold James's.

"Jane where are the others?" James said as she started to cry.

"I d-don't know!" Jane said, she sniffed and splutter her words "I-I got separated and lost…"

James hugged her again, he walked backwards while still holding Jane in his arms. James saw a car with an open door behind him, he sat her down on the dusty seat with her legs falling out of the car, and let her regain her strength. James sat on the cold hard ground and leaned back to the car's back wheel.

With only Jane's flashlight to light up the night, he looked at her poorly lit face. She was still crying with one hand covering her eyes.

James sighed in desperation, he was cold, starving, and exhausted.

He looked back at Jane, who is looking at her feet. Sadly he can't do anything to cheer her up, when James himself was too frightened about the next day.

* * *

 ** _I'm trapped here... Let me know in the reviews what do you think should happen next... In the mean time I will find out what to do with the plot hole!.._**

 ** _As always, review..._**


	5. Boulevard of Broken Dreams

**_Sorry this chapter came out late! I had a busy time a few days ago before I published this..._**

 ** _Anyway, I am still having trouble with the storyline. If you think that one of my fanfic's chapter seemed to be getting out of the plot. Let me know in the reviews._**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James walked up his apartment stairs, with backpack full of books after his afternoon reading at the TKTS he finally decided to go back to his apartment room.

He saw the candle that was sitting on the railings is getting smaller and smaller, he considered getting more candles for the stairwell.

As he reached the fifth floor he saw on his left was two teenagers chatting next to the door which leads to the hallway.

The teenagers saw James "Hey James." One of them said.

"Hey Tyler." James smiled and nodded, Tyler nodded back and returned to his conversation.

James went to the door, as he reached the hallway he saw another man walking past him. James walked passed the man and turned to the door next to the elevator.

"I'm home!" James said, he looked around the house. Since his father was on duty at the farm, he was left alone with Jane.

James looked around, wondered why Jane didn't answer. He saw today's lunch ration still sitting on the coffee table, two untouched canned foods.

He walked past the sofa and went to Jane's bedroom, he peeked his head inside the bedroom and saw Jane unaware of his presence.

"Jane?" James saw she was sitting on the table next to her desk, with her ears covered with two earphones.

James went to her and looked at her desk, scribbling on a piece of paper she drew a woman; beautifully drawn, she used the art of shading, and sketch.

James couldn't help but smile, he poked Jane softly on the shoulder.

Jane brushed it off, on the second poke she looked back and saw James. Jane took of his earphones and smiled at him, she looked from her drawing to him.

"Have you eaten lunch?" James asked.

"No, I'm kind of busy at the moment." Jane went back to her drawing.

"Good drawing…" James complimented.

Jane went a shade of pink "Thanks, but I think this comic has better drawings."

James saw on top of the desk was a small thick book, which had a colorful drawings of a girl at the front cover.

He picked it up and read the pages carefully "Is this Japanese?"

"Dad said it's translated…" Jane puts on her earphones back on.

After James read a few pages he could only see what shouldn't be inside a good novel, there was only drawings, but mostly to James the story was gibberish.

"This is just romance comedy?" James lifted the book so she could see "It's very dull, it isn't focusing on the story! Just the humor and the blushing."

Jane rolled her eyes "You're not supposed to read it."

James raised his eyebrows, even though the story wasn't that entertaining it had some pretty good drawings. He guessed that his father must have got it for her from the last time he was a Sweeper, James looked at Jane again and sat down on her bed.

He looked at the foot of her bed, several other Japanese comics scattered. Some of them different than the others, he picked one which had an interesting cover of a fictional women with guns and read it. He flipped a few pages.

"This one's pretty fun." James said aloud, Jane looked from the corner of her eye.

As time passed with James reading the comic, and Jane still focusing on her drawing. James liked the comic series, unfortunately there wasn't any sequels. So he picked another book, the one he picked randomly from the pile of comics.

James laughed at a particular page, then Jane looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"What is it?" Jane said curiously.

James looked up to her, smiling "So the prickly haired guy was wounded from a fight, and the girl went up to him saying 'I guess I have no choice but to feed you'. The prickly haired guy went happy, but then the gay guy feeds him food instead. The prickly haired guy got mad and wanted to be fed by the girl instead, but at the end his _teacher_ was the one to feed him."

As James laughed, Jane couldn't help but to giggle. James puts down the book and sighed.

"How's your drawing?" James asked his sister.

"I hope you like it." Jane smiled as she showed the paper with both hands, he saw himself smiling, as he reads a comic book.

"That's good!" James said in amazement.

Jane puts the comic on her desk, she stood up from her chair before sitting on her bed. She sat beside James and rested her head on his shoulder, James began to smile.

He took one of Jane's earphones and put it on his own ear, the music had already played, a mix of drums and guitars and people saying 'oooh!'.

"Here," Jane showed the portable music player in her hand, she pressed a button and as she did the music began to change. "This is my favorite."

James heard a few notes from a piano began to play, the notes repeated before the verse started. He began humming to the music as it continued, he tapped his fingers on his lap. Then came the chorus, which had an interesting sets of instruments playing.

James felt someone tapping his cheek, he looked at Jane who is smiling dreamily at him. Then James felt Jane pressed her lips to his, James closed his eyes feeling her soft and tender kiss.

Then just as the temperature began to warm, the music stops playing. James broke off with his eyebrow raised, wondering what just happened.

Jane too looked confused, she looked at her music player and where the light which supposed to show that it was on, wasn't.

"Out of batteries…" Janes groaned "Shit…"

"Dirty mouth." James teased.

Jane rolled her eyes "I'll show you who's the dirty mouth." Jane said playfully.

The Jane planted another kiss on him, this time James felt that Jane puts on less feelings and more will into it. James didn't fought, he liked being kissed.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

James felt his neck began to cramp, he tried to move it around but he can't; like he had been paralyzed. He tried to wake up, but his eyes doesn't seem to open. He knew he had been sleeping, he just wanted to wake up.

He panicked in his mind, he tried to move one of his muscles but can't. He put so much force in trying to lift up his head.

"GAH!" James exclaimed in pain, he had lift his head so quick it had hit the body of the rusty car.

He puts two hands trying to stop the pain on the back of his head, it seared hot for a while until it just left a sting.

James rubbed a hand as he looked left and right, he had slept by sitting down on the hard cold ground. He looked at the opened car door next to him, where Jane should've been.

James stood up, and peeked inside the car. He let out a breath of relief when he saw Jane sleeping on the front passenger seat, her face calm and resting. James was thankful that she can sleep well.

He puts a hand on his stomach, feeling his body tremble as he thought of food. He smacked his lips, he needed water.

James walked away from the car, he looked around the environment. There on the far building he saw, not food, but a body. He raised his eyebrow and walked towards it, he was covered by shades from the roof above the sidewalk.

Under him he saw a machete, stuck between the head of a Runner.

James grunted as he put a hand on the machete, he pulled it back and removed the machete from the blackened infected.

James looked at his machete closely, it was sharpened carefully making it really sharp. But he puts the machete on his belt and his thoughts aside, he and Jane needs to eat. There's no way he was going to eat a decaying body.

He looked around the streets, where the grass grows and the trees burst out.

Then he had a sudden thought, the Times Square still has food supplies. And nobody was there to take it due to the infected roaming around, which is a bad thing.

James walked away from the decaying body, he looked at the car where Jane was sleeping. He peeked inside the car, and saw Jane was already awake, eyes staring blankly to the ceiling.

"Jane?" James said, he wanted to make sure his sister was okay.

Jane looked at him, her lips looked dry and pale.

James looked at Jane's feet, her backpack sitting between her legs. He opened the car door and sat beside her at the driver's seat, he felt the coarse headrest against the back of his head.

Jane looked back to the front, not even opening her mouth. Her eyes still blank, James could only wonder where her thoughts went.

"Do you have any drink?" James said, his voice was soft to prevent further damage to his thin throat. His uvula was sorer than ever, he felt that every spit he swallowed his tonsils are burning.

He felt a small poke on his shoulder, he saw James handing him a water bottle with half of the contents inside. James took it and opened the cap, he drank two satisfying gulps and stopped. He stared at the bottle which now had less than before, then he turned to Jane, giving her the water bottle.

Jane took it but didn't drink the water inside, instead she puts the water bottle back to her backpack.

James raised his eyebrow "You're not thirsty?"

"I just drank." Jane said, without looking at him.

"Oh…" James looked down, he was too tired from the heat.

Jane sighed, she turned her head to James "What now?"

James closed his eyes, thinking. His brain clicked "Dad is still at the farm, right? Maybe we should go to him."

Jane looked away, and nodded "That sound like a good idea."

James put his feet out of the car while still sitting on the driver's seat, then he jumped down to the cracked asphalt. He looked around the streets of Manhattan, the sun rayed hot light over him.

On the other side of the car, Jane got out of the front passenger seat. Her face exhausted and expressionless.

James put his hand on his belt, the machete still there and unused since he founds it. He walked to one of the intersection's roads which leads to the opposite way from the Times Squares, he looked around the street; the same street he and his father had last traveled with.

"Do you know where the farm is?" James looked back to Jane, in his head trying to remember everything his father said about the farm.

Jane lifted both her shoulders, then James turned to the road ahead. James stared at the overgrown buildings and intersections in front of him, Manhattan was built mostly with intersections and mazes of streets. Sure James remembered a few of its streets, but how he learned it was from an old maps with pictures of the buildings twenty years ago, now the buildings had been covered in cracks and vines turns it unrecognizable from the old days.

James sighed, he puts a hand on his stomach which grumbled hungrily. James looked back at Jane, who stood behind him, waiting for his next move.

"How about this…" James had a sudden thought "We go back to the Time Square to pack a few things first, then we move on to the farm."

"What about the Bloater?" Jane asked, her face went a bit white when James suggested the plan.

James looked down to his machete "We only need a few food and a gun, that's it." Then he added quickly "And a map."

Jane's eyebrows furrowed as she pauses, then she nodded in agreement. But a part of James still didn't want to go back, he didn't want to look at the fungus grown faces of his friends.

James turned around and walked the other direction, Jane followed him from behind as he walked through the street that is leading him to the Times Square.

As he walked pass the grassy streets, he constantly look back at Jane. James was worried about her, her eyes wasn't as bright as they used to be.

"James?" Jane suddenly said. She looked away from James, avoiding eye contact.

"What's wrong?" James said in a worried tone.

Jane looked up to him "I could've prevent this from happening…" She said, flailing her arms hopelessly "I-I could've stopped Tiffany from…"

"It's not your fault!" James assured her, he stopped in his tracks "None of that is! You didn't even know this would happen!"

"But what if I had listened?" Jane said remorsefully "None of this," She gestured all around her "Should've happened!"

"You're just overthinking it…" James said, even though Jane was obviously down James wasn't any better looking at her like that "What happened. Happened. Remember what Aiden told me?"

Jane looked at him as if saying 'you don't know what it's like, James'. Jane instead said "I know… It's just that I can't get it out of my head…"

How ironic, James thought. He always overthinks, he can't seem to stop thinking the inevitable future of his actions. Let alone if it had happen.

"You know…" James said, he began walking forward "I, uh, never really got to read the sequel of your comic." He said, trying to get his mind and Jane's off of things.

Jane looked at him, she arched his brow. But then shook it off and began to smile "Maybe we can find some on the way?"

"Yeah, maybe…" James muttered, he smiled at him as they walked side by side.

But above her smile James saw in her eyes, distress, remorseful, ashamed, and guilt. He wondered if she saw the same in him, James felt he was responsible for her misery, maybe it's because he can't do anything about it.

James looked at the ground under him, every step he took he reminded himself, do not overthink.

He looked up again, he entered an intersection. On his left he saw, the wall of Times Square with its gate broken and open. He stared from afar, at the sight of the wall itself made James and Jane rigid. They exchanged looks, neither of them thinks that this was a good idea.

But what other choices do they have?

James went closer to the wall, crouching down hoping there was nobody or no infected around. He hid behind one broken down car, Jane followed and crouched behind the car as well. James put two hands on the rusty car's body to balance himself as he crouches.

He lifted his head up and peeked from the broken car windows, there his vision focused on the gates of the wall.

"No Clicker, I don't hear any Bloater as well." James whispered to Jane as he crouched back down.

Jane tilted her head, trying to catch any sound "We should hurry…" She whispered back.

"Yeah, maybe we should…" James muttered, then he looked through the broken window again. His eyes caught another rusty car closer to wall, just like the car he used to hide behind it, below it grass grows most tall.

"Come here…" James told Jane silently, as he moved from one car to other quickly.

He waited Jane to follow, and as she did James lifted his head up and peeked to the wall. From that position he could see through the gap, no infected near the gate from the inside.

"It's clear," James said softly as his throat burned some more, he slouched to the ground when he felt his stomach began to knot painfully "I'll get us some food, can you cover my back?"

According to Jane's expression, she didn't seem to agree with James "I can't! You know how I am when I'm fighting!" She loudly whispered.

"Alright, let's switch roles…" James said.

Jane stared at him in hesitation, she pursed her lips then nodded.

James looked back at the gap, he wondered, why is there no infected clicking or screeching? They must've only resides in dark places, but he knew the Bloater could still be alive. They have to be more careful on where they step, one of the infected could spot them.

"I'm going to check the inside," James told Jane, he exhaled sharply. He looked away from her, his words cut off by a sore throat "Hopefully it's clear. So we can, uh, get some food…"

Before James could darted out from behind the car, Jane grabbed his wrist. James stopped just before he could walk any further, he looked at her as his arm felt her sweaty palm.

"Be careful…" She said in a rather worried tone, but her eyes showed much more.

James mouth fell open, he was starving and staring into Jane's eyes made him more doubtful to his decision. He pursed his lips, and nodded.

James darted out of the car, he sneaked forward to the broken gates on the wall. He reached it and hid behind the gates, he looked back at Jane who is eyeing him from afar. James kneeled down next to the gate, in front of him was the gap made by the Bloater.

James paused, the Bloater couldn't have made a gap that big. The gate itself was double layered by metal panels, and metal fence plus both of them was locked. Someone must've unlocked it before the Bloater forced itself in.

He peeked his head through, he saw the Times Square in its horrible state. Soundless, smells of blood, with about eight bodies lying scattered all over the streets.

No infected in sight.

He looked back at Jane, he gave her a nod from his position. Jane stood up and walked slowly around the car, James saw her hand rested on top of the hood of the rusty car. Before it suddenly slid off the front.

The hood of the car had broken off, the weight from Jane's hand pushed the hood off with a loud rasp. As it fell down a heart stopping clank, the car hood clattered loudly right after it hit the grassy asphalt. Jane and James froze in shock, they exchanged their looks, both of them white as chalk.

A screeching came after, a bloody shriek echoed through the streets. An infected, a Runner, ran out of a broken storefront window on the opposite side of the street where Jane was. Its body limped as it dashed out of its dark hiding spot, the Runner spot them as it turned its fungus grown head with a whiplash.

Jane gasped loudly, she backed away from her spot not noticing the wall behind her. The Runner bend forward and retracted its arms backwards, with a blood curdling scream it ran after her.

James shot up "JANE GET OUT OF THERE!" He shouted instantly.

Jane jumped sideways, just before the Runner hit the wall. James ran up to her, he equipped his machete in his right hand as he ran to the sidewalk where Jane had fell.

James took her by both arms and pulled her away from the scene, he need to get her to safety. Jane began to run as well, James led her to the gate. He too felt his heart almost leaped off his ribcage.

James heard the inhuman barking behind him, James could tell the Runner was chasing him too.

James and Jane went through the gate, but just at that moment, James felt the Runner leaped on him from behind. James didn't think, he threw Jane aside as he fell forward from the Runner's weight.

His body fell to the asphalt shoulder first, he had just enough time to roll his body and looked up at a Runner's gaping mouth as it leaned down on him.

James shrieked in fear, his reflexes made his right arm swung up to block the Runner from biting him.

His machete blocked and pushed the Runner's body upwards from falling onto James, he closed his eye and turned his head avoiding the spray of blood from the Runner's mouth as it continued to scream closely to James's face.

James looked aside and gritted his teeth, the infected weight pressing down on him. His hands pushed back the machete that blocked the Runner's sternocleidomastoid* muscle.

"Get off him!" Jane shrieked, she pushed herself against the Runner's body trying to push it off James. Jane got thrown back as one of the Runner's arm swung madly and the back of its hand slapped her painfully on the face.

James felt his arms began to tire, and his muscles began to burn. Then as he looked away from the Runner's horrible pale face, it burst open like watermelon wrapped in a lot of rubber.

James felt the cold blood covering one side of his face, he felt the Runner slouched to his lap. Dead.

James pushed himself back from the dead Runner's body, breathing heavily as he saw the contents of its brain scattered all over the ground and his shirt.

"GET UP!" A voice said, James had no time recognizing it. He felt his arm being yanked up and he was brought to his feet.

James saw next to him, was Belle. Jane too looked shocked by her sudden presence.

Then James heard a screeching, a clicking, and heart hammering roar all around him. The gunshot had rang all over Times Square, bringing out the Clickers and Runners from their dark and damp places. They were cornered.

"GET TO THE APARTMENT!" Belle got in front of James, the revolver in her hand fired another gunshot. James covered his ears as she fired more bullets "NOW!"

James looked at Jane's terrified face, he took her by the shoulder and pulled her away from Belle. The apartment, James thought over and over again in his head. There!

James saw just two buildings from them was their old apartment, his heart raced as he ran with Jane towards it. The gunshot behind him still firing, he dropped his machete there's no way he could get it back.

"Hurry!" James said to Jane as she tripped.

Jane picked herself up and began running for her life again. James and Jane entered the dusty lobby of their apartment, but there was a Runner laying on a dried puddle of blood next to the stairwell door.

They gasped when they heard running footsteps behind them, James thought it was an infected.

Belle had returned with her revolver without a scratch "To the stairwell! GO!"

James and Jane instantly dashed to the open stairwell door, they entered the dark stairwell before Belle. She closed the door behind her, shutting all light from the outside. They all back away from the door when they heard pounding from the other side, they had escaped.

James heard a click of a button, Jane had turned her flashlight and the ray shines a partial part of the stairwell. James still can't believe he is still holding his life, he broke down to his knees when his stamina had been emptied.

"Can't believe you two survived…" Belle said, turning her flashlight on as well. James could see her shook her head, pushing away her thoughts "You must be one hell of a brave kid…"

James hadn't heard her compliment "Is… Is the others still alive?"

"Just a few, we manage to save a few that survived. But the ones outside, mostly the guard who were sweeping, never came back…" Belle began walking up the dark stairs, her path lit by her flashlight.

James and Jane followed behind her "How's Amanda? Or Margie?" Jane asked.

"They're fine," Belle said, unassured with herself "How are you two feeling?"

"We're fine…" James answered for both him and Jane. They reached the first floor, and then continued to the second "Do you have any food?"

"Yeah. Guessing you haven't ate, judging at your appearances." Belle said.

James ran a finger down his cheek, how did he exactly looked when he's starving? He looked at Jane, breathing through her mouth every time she lifted herself off a stair tread.

James noticed he was at the fourth floor, the candles on the railings had either ran out or fallen to the stair treads and breaks.

"Here it is…" Belle stopped at the door in front of them, the light coming from under it. She opened the metal door leading to the fifth floor, when it opens the light coming from the window at the end of the hallway showered them with illumination.

James and Jane walked through several people, the hallway never looked so crowded and full of scared people. Ten maybe twelve people looking at them as if deciding if James and Jane are infected or not.

James held Jane's shaking hand, he led her through the crowd of people until they reached their old apartment room.

James opened the door to his dim lit, sweat scented home. James wanted to sit on the couch so badly; but someone was already there.

"Amanda!" Jane cried. She ran up to her friend, who is shocked to see them both as James opened the door.

Amanda stood up from the couch, her mouth fell before cracking into a wide smile. Her left stump arm still covered in bandage, her face dirty liked it hadn't been bathed, her waterfall braided auburn hair was messy and untidy.

James saw them hugging in relief, he himself felt a little better. He walked up to them, and as Amanda saw James her mouth is on its hinges.

"You two should eat." Said Belle's voice, James turned around and saw the ex-doctor holding two opened cans of food while leaning to the apartment door.

James walked up to her quickly, he took both the canned foods "Thanks Doc…"

"Don't mention it…" Belle smiled, but James could see it was a mix smile of joy and sadness. Belle closed the door behind her as she left.

James looked at the two cans, the two canned soups rippling its thick water.

James brought them both to the coffee table as Jane and Amanda sat down with him. He shoved one of the canned soups to Jane's side of the table, while he took a couple gulps of cold spicy vegetable soup.

James slouched to his seat, his canned soup close to his nose. Even though the canned soup wasn't oozing any scent, he could still taste the thick flavor rich soup as it ran down his throat.

"How did you… Um, how are you still alive?" Amanda said softly.

James looked up "I don't know, I honestly don't know how I managed this long…" He said. He had a few close calls before, and all of them made his body sore. His legs had been tired from all the running and crouching, James couldn't even stretch his legs without feeling his muscles contorting.

James looked at Amanda "How's your arm?"

"I don't know…" Amanda said, perplexed "It feels weird, e-even though it's not there anymore but my fingers feels numb…"

"Oh," James said, upset by the sight "I-I'm sorry…"

"Where's Margie?" Jane asked, James looked up in sudden realization.

Amanda paused, she looked terrified and confused. Her face dropped as she sighed, she turned her head and stared sadly at Jane's bedroom door.

James raised his eyebrow, he stood up and walked towards the bedroom door. Jane followed behind him as he opened the door and walked inside.

There, James saw on the floor was a figure. Sitting under Jane's bed, her ponytail head between her tights, and piles of comics scattered around her. It seemed James's and Jane's presence did not disturbed her.

Wondering what was wrong with Margie he kneeled down beside her, then he saw one of her wrists was tied painfully with a polyester rope connecting to one of the foot of the bed.

"Margie?" James said, looking at Margie's reddened wrist.

"She's bit…" Said Amanda, who is standing next to the door.

James stared at her, his mouth fell without releasing a single word. How could it all come to this, how could it all go down in just a day?

He stared at Margie, as he watched her closely he saw scratches; a human hand sized red mark on her arm, then he saw the bite mark on the back of her neck. Reddened circle on her skin, rash and boils all around it.

"H-how… Margie?" Jane tried to shake her, but Margie didn't budge.

James felt a spark of anger inside him, he remembered yesterday when he met the heavily armed men; when he met Morton. A cure, he can save the world; but he needed James to make it so. Never had he felt much hatred towards the cordyceps, they had took all the lives of the people he knew.

Morton. He needed to find Morton.

"She's been like that since yesterday…" Amanda said, but James was barely listening.

"How did this happen?" James asked darkly.

Amanda sighed "She, uh, ran in front of an infected…"

"But why?" Jane stared at her.

"The infected tried to bite me…" Amanda admitted.

James's eyes were still transfixed upon Margie, he had no idea how to fix her. He saw that the sun had reached the top of the sky when he looked up the window.

James stood up, hopelessness filled his head "Jane, let's just leave her alone for a moment…"

Jane nodded, and stood up as well. They both left the bedroom, Jane and James exchanged looks.

"Maybe you should lay down for a moment," Amanda said to both of them, she walked to the front door "I'm going to Belle."

"Has Margie ate?" James blurted out.

"She just had breakfast, and that too needed Belle to stay beside her…"

"Thanks Amanda." Jane smiled.

Amanda stopped as she opened the door "James?"

"What?" James said.

"Thank you, for saving my life back then…" Amanda muttered, without looking at him. She looked like she had been holding on to that sentence for a long time.

James did not know how to reply, so he nodded.

He and Jane were left alone with Margie on their apartment room, James looked at Jane momentarily. Jane went up to him and threw her arms around him, she dropped as James held her tightly.

James looked down at her, suddenly he wanted someone to say everything is okay. Jane lifted her chin up until her eyes are on line with James's, she kissed him tenderly on the lips.

She steps back a little while looking down, leaving James disappointed.

"What's wrong?" James asked, worried.

Jane turned around and walked to the sofa, she sat on the sofa with her expressions filled with grief, confusion, and anger.

"I-I lost two of my best friends, James…" Jane began, she seemed to be unaware of what she was saying "I honestly don't know what's wrong…" She added sarcastically.

James walked up to her, he too sat on the couch. He didn't want this, maybe he wanted to say to Jane that everything was okay.

They didn't look at each other for a long time. Until James decided to rest his head on the armrest, and slept. He thought for a moment, then he felt that he wanted something so badly.

He wanted to save the world.

* * *

 ** _Review if you like this chapter!.._**


	6. Another One Bites the Dust

**_Sorry this chapter came out late, again, I had trouble with the plot... Please review! Any questions you want to ask go ahead!.._**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James never knew what was wrong with eating with your hands, both his hands we're clean for all he knew.

But James never really ate with his bare hands, because when he do his father would snap at him. Telling him to grow up.

So every time he ate, he would look at his plate of cold red beans with unsettlement. Jane on the other hand, was a good child. If their father could choose his favorites, it would be Jane. She likes to draw, she was never messy, a perfect child.

James has never been hated by one of his family before, but that doesn't mean he liked his position in the family.

So James thought, if Jane had his father. James would go play with his mother.

James's and Jane's mother, Lorene, was a particularly pretty young woman. She had a jet black hair going down her back, which is why Jane likes to call her 'Rapunzel'. Like Jane, Lorene's face was clear off all dirt and dust. Much to Jane's and James's surprise, Lorene was very busy with her duty guarding the outside of the wall.

James never watched her work, he was forbidden to go near the gate. His father warned him about 'the infected people outside the wall', everyday Jeremiah would pray James and Jane to be forever safe by the wall and the infected people will not get them.

Tonight, James watched his father tucking him and Jane to sleep in their cramped bed. The light from the taper candle on its holder lit the whole bedroom yellowish orange, the room had only one bed and a box of toys their mother gave them every time she finished work.

"Scooch over!" Jane squeaked as she hit James's hip with her bum, trying to push him to the edge of the bed.

"You're hogging all the bed!" James exclaimed from under the blanket.

"Alright, alright. It's time for bed you two…" Their father said sleepily, he had yawned three times.

"Can't I read before I go to bed?" James said, trying to convince his father.

"James it's already eleven, its way past your bedtime!" Jeremiah said in exhaustion "Now go to sleep, tomorrow is Taco Tuesday remember?" He said, putting up a fake smile.

James and Jane exchanged looks, they are both looking forward on the next day.

"Alright now," Jeremiah said, he kneeled next to the bed "God, please keep these children safe all the time. Let them grow up to be great kids. Keep us away from the dangers outside, from the infection. Bless us all with your protection. And keep us all well fed, well cleaned, and the best of health"

"Amen…" James and Jane said altogether.

Something about these prayers seemed a little odd, he wondered who is God. The adults seemed to be saying his name very constantly. But as long as his father's okay with it, it's alright.

Jane flipped her hair and turned away from James, she seemed to be starting to sleep. James watched his father stood up from the floor and walked towards the open door.

James asked his father just as he held the door knob "What is an infected man?"

His father didn't answer at once "They are people who lives outside the wall, but they are different from us."

James raised his eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"Well," Jeremiah bit his lower lip, looking rather anxious "They're…"

"Jeremy?" Said a voice, both James and Jeremiah looked up to the door. Where Lorene stood while leaning on to the door frame, she was still wearing her brown leather jacket from work.

Jeremiah flushed pink, he scratched the back of his head as Lorene made a coy smile. James wanted to hear what his father was going to say before he was interrupted.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell him?" Lorene crossed his arms, while still putting on her smirk.

"I-I, well I suppose," Jeremiah stuttered, but his arms dropped in surrender "H-how about you tell them instead?" He smiled scarlet.

Lorene chuckled "Can you heat up a can of soup for me? That would be great."

"Uh, sure…" Jeremiah said, he got a kissed on his right cheek as he walked pass his wife.

Lorene watched her husband going to the kitchen, then she walked slowly towards the side of bed before kneeling beside James, he saw his mother's face inches from his nose.

"Do you know that feeling when you're angry?" Lorene began, speaking softly "When you just want to punch someone in the face? Well, the infected people are like that. They have this disease that makes them angry every day, they are so angry that they are not allowed in the city…"

"Disease?" James asked curiously.

"It's like a…. A fever! Remember when I told you to stay away from Jane when you have a cold? But the infected spreads their angriness by biting each other." Lorene said, carefully picking her words.

James nodded, then he thought. "So I can be an infected too?"

Lorene sighed "No you won't James," She ran a finger through his hair, James could see in his mother's eyes was a mix of determination and caring. "I work every day in outside the world, risking my own life in front of the wall, knowing that I might get bit. Just for you and Jane."

James lay in his bed, wrapped in warm blanket while looking to his mother's eyes. He closed his mouth to sympathize, he knew his mother worked so hard for his family. He couldn't help but to feel guilty, he did not know why though.

Lorene brushed his hair out of his forehead so she could kiss it, it was a quick peck before she looked back at James "Now go to sleep, tomorrow I'm having a day off. Taco Tuesday!"

And with that, Lorene stood up and walked to the door. She glanced at James before closing the door behind her.

James's ears only caught up the sound of candles flickering on the shelves. He buried his face in the pillow, smelling the cloth.

"Psst!" Hissed a voice in the room "James!"

James knew it was the whispering voice of Jane "I thought you were sleeping?" He whispered back.

But instead of replying, Jane lifted the blanket off her feet and jumped off the bed. She walked towards the moon lit window while still in her white nightgown.

James too lifted the blanket off his feet, he let his foot dangling on the edge of the bed. He curiously watched Jane from a distance, she was tilting her head while looking outside, searching for something.

"Come here!" Jane whispered, she unlocked the window and opened it.

James raised his eyebrow and jumped off the bed, he stood beside Jane and looked at the distance. He had to stand on the tip of his toes so he could see better, Jane was naturally taller than James.

"Look there!" Jane spoke softly. Pointing towards the sky.

James scanned the dark cloudy sky, until his eyes were locked on the moon "Woah!" James said in astonishment.

He had never seen the moon in a somewhat red color! He stared at it for a few more seconds, awe-struck at the sight. But then he wondered, _what is it_?

"I knew you'd like it!" Jane half smiled.

"Why is the moon like this?" James said curiously.

"I don't know!" Jane said, she was somewhat impressed herself "Mom said tonight is a very special night for the moon!"

James nodded in agreement "What do you think is happening to the moon?"

"It looks like a hamburger meat," Jane guessed, eyes staring back to the moon.

"No, it's more like…" James paused, what does the moon looked like? "A round pumpkin?" James said stupidly.

Jane giggled.

"It's more orange than red!" James immediately went red.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

James heard muffling across the room, he lifted his head off his hand. He had slept in an uncomfortable position, which made his neck let out a crack.

He looked at his lap, there Jane was. She had slept with her head on James's lap, she was hugging her legs. Then he heard talking again, it was coming from Jane's bedroom.

James slowly lifted Jane's head off his lap, luckily she was still sleeping. Must've been tired from the heat, even he was sweating a flood.

The room was lit by the evening sun, James knew he must be so tired from yesterday. His stomach still aching for food, he saw on the coffee table was two already opened canned foods. He took one and sniffed it, there was no bad stench.

Jane must've already eaten one canned food, he saw the other can was empty.

"-be back, okay? Don't starve yourself." Said a voice coming from Jane's bedroom.

James saw Belle walking out of the bedroom, she was surprised to see him. Belle made a look of desperation, as if her hard nature was suddenly softened painfully.

"It's been hard," Belle said, she caught James noticing her troubled expression "And it's just two days!"

James felt a sudden tinge of guilt hearing Belle's hollow laugh, he looked down and wished he could just say _I'm sorry all of this happen, I'm sorry I brought disaster for everyone, if there's anything I cou-_ _ **want**_ _to do… Is to just restart the world…_

"It's not your fault…" Belle's sudden words made James look back up. Was she saying what he think she was saying?

James was speechless, allowing Belle to say more "Jane told me everything, she bravely took all the blame. There was nothing I could do except to say 'OK' to her…"

They both looked at Jane, still sleeping on the couch. Drained from all her stamina.

"But that's not true…" James muttered "I could've stopped her from going…"

"Of course it's not true, it wasn't her fault either." Belle said "Did you know why Tiffany went out in the first place?"

James went puzzled "What are you talking about?"

Belle raised both her shoulders "You're thinking about blaming her."

James did thought of that, it was a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Tiffany came to me two weeks before she and you went out, she was looking for her mom. I knew if I spilled the news that Tiffany's mom was at the farm, Tiffany would be dead worried. But what other choices do I have-?" Belle explained.

James felt his mind beginning to be clearer "So she was looking for her mother?"

Belle nodded "Jane said Tiffany was planning on going out of the wall a couple of times, Jane and her friends stopped her a couple of times as well. Until Jane came to a decision to escort Tiffany out."

"But did none of the girls knew where it was?" James asked.

"Apparently someone did, I just don't know who." Belle confessed, then she went to the coffee table to pick up the empty can "Maybe Margie knew, but she hasn't said a single word."

"How's Margie?" James said, remembering what Margie was going through.

"Still not getting better," Belle said, her voice deepened as if she was angry at something "Bite mark's still going redder and redder."

James looked back at the opened gap of Jane's bedroom door. Then he heard the apartment door opening, and he saw Belle closing the door behind her.

Maybe it's time he visits Margie, he went to the bedroom door and opened it slowly. He let the sunlight in and lit the room, then he saw Margie still sitting on the floor. The bedroom was so damp it felt hotter in the room, he stood there at the door looking at sweat drenched Margie who is still not looking at him even when he had opened the door.

James could only sit next to her, because he did not know how to fix her.

Margie was sitting with one arm on her knee, and the other legs pointed forward. Her ponytail was no more, now her hair is dropping while covered in wet sweat. She stared at her other hand, the one which was bitten also.

She was hurt so much, James couldn't say why she was still human and not trying to bite his head off. In front of her was a tray, on it was an opened can of beans.

"Margie," James started, he raised his hand thinking that it might be a good idea to stroke her shoulder. But ultimately putting it back down.

Margie said something under her breath, which James could not hear.

James wanted to ask her what she said, but when he opened his mouth no voice came out.

"Where's Jane?" Margie spoke softly. Still not looking at him.

"O-outside…" James said "D-do you want me to…"

"No," Margie said quickly. Then she silenced once again.

James sighed "If it's the bite…"

"It's not only the bite," Margie turned her head to look at him, there was scars on the right side of her cheek as well. "I knew Tiffany was trying to get to her mom for two weeks, I told her that her mom is going to be fine and, she'll be with her in a few days, but Tiffany, she never stops trying…"

"And you and Jane was trying to escort her to the farm?" James continued for her.

"Yes, I knew where it was…" Margie confessed "But Tiffany told me to stay and give her a map instead."

"Why did you follow her?" James asked.

"Jane, me, and Amanda finally decided that we'd… That we'd…" Margie began to sob.

"You… You could stop if you want, it's alright…" James comforted her "I already know, Belle told me…"

Margie bit her bottom lip, but then she sighed "Someone was supposed to escort her at the mall…"

"Who?"

"Tyler…" Margie said, her voice filled with guilt.

James gulped "Tyler? But I thought he was done with us..."

"Tiffany payed him with food, rations for months, and he left the morning before us…" Margie began to build up tears.

"How did Tiffany contacted him?" James felt questions began to fill his head. But then he looked at her eyes, he saw pain. "Margie! Margie!"

"Letters…" Margie's voice suddenly sounded coarse " **COUGH!**.."

"Margie! Margie!" James began to panic, Margie fell to the floor in a curled up position. James leaned over her, Margie was coughing madly, distressful.

James held her down as she started to seizure uncontrollably, he didn't want her to turn, he needed more time. James then tried to think of a solution, it seemed hard looking at Margie's state.

"Help!" James cried outside. "HELP!"

James heard movements from the living room, he peeked his head backwards while still holding Margie down. James saw Jane shuffling to her feet quickly, "Go get help! Hurry!" He said to her.

Jane paused at him with Margie in shock, then she rushed outside the apartment room without uttering a single word.

James then felt something jabbed the hem of his shirt. He looked down and saw Margie was tugging him by the shirt, he was still holding her down trying to stop her moving. But her seizure was starting to feel like struggling, Margie was shaking James off her.

"Margie stop-" Before he knew it, Margie launched herself backwards. James fell with a thud with the back of his head hitting the wall behind him.

Then Margie lunged at him, at a split second moment he saw her face, small something was bulging out of her cheeks. James thought this was the end, Margie was about to bite his throat out.

With one hand forward he pushed her back, Margie was clamping her teeth together, right in front of his face. James realized one of her arms was still tied to the leg of the bed.

Even though her reach was minimized by the polyester rope, she was still lunging forward towards him. Making her wrist bleed. Her free arm was flailing madly, trying to scratch James's face. He wanted to tell her to stop, to stop and fight the infection.

Margie started to shriek and gurgle like a dog.

James then heard the front door being kicked open, he took a glimpse at it and saw an elderly man. His expressions contorted of fear and anger, matched with the shotgun on his hands.

"GET OUTTA THERE!" The man said to James.

James pushed Margie back with both hands before kicking himself up, he was freed from her grasp. But his movement ceased when something leaped at him from behind and grabbed the side of his face.

James didn't have time to gasp, he fell from the weight added to his back. Margie was on top of him, still trying to bite him.

 **BANG!**

He felt his ears ringing loudly, he saw cold blood flowing down his cheek. He stayed on the floor for a couple of second, fear struck by the sudden blast of a shotgun. He did not know what was more frightening, the fact that his brain could've been blasted off or that he knew Margie's brain was covering his body.

"Oh my god!" Belle came to the scene, James didn't have time to look at her face but he could tell she was perplexed by the scene. "Holy shit… Holy shit…"

James felt his body being pulled upwards by the arm.

"There you go… Slowly…" Said the voice of the elderly man.

James felt the weight on his shoulder fell down the side as he started to stand. On his right arm he saw Belle clutching it, she was murmuring something to him but the ringing limited his ability to hear.

"Is that a-" The sound of the elderly man came again "Oh fuck!"

James looked forward, a group of people standing in front of the apartment door. Their eyes were flashing with disbelief, but what's obvious of their face was the expressions of horror. Then he saw Jane, dashing out of the crowd to examine him closely.

"NO!" Her hands held James's face, he could saw she had the most panicked feeling between all of them. Jane's hands were trembling as she held James, and he could only gave her hard stare. "James! A-are you…"

"Don't get to close to him…" James could hear the elderly man said darkly.

Jane blinked "W-what."

James then realized what the elderly man was talking about, he felt a sudden breeze down his spine. Margie must've ripped part of the back of his shirt, exposing his scar.

James was still frozen in fear, more frozen when he realized they all knew.

Including Jane.

* * *

 ** _It will be a bit confusing on the later chapters, and if this and my previous chapters are also confusing you are welcomed to ask any question... Hell you can even help me with the plot, I'm open with suggestions..._**

 ** _Review!.._**


	7. One More Night

**_HEY GUYS! THALIO HERE!_**

 ** _I didn't lie when I said I'm stuck, did I?_**

 ** _Well, that doesn't matter 'cause CHAPTER 7 IS OUT!_**

 ** _REVIEW YOUR OPINIONS PLZ!_**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

"Can I have a cat?"

"No James," Jeremiah replied sternly "For the last time, there are no cats left!"

"But Jane said she saw one last week!" James said.

Jeremiah raised his eyebrow, his lips curled into an incredulity. "Where?"

"She said she saw it down by the streets outside the wall." James said, shrugging a little.

Jeremiah rubbed the bridge of his nose "If a cat is wandering outside, go ask your mother to get one."

"I was going to!" James said louder. He wanted a cat since he read a brochure his mother got from an old pet store, Jane too supported him on this. He wondered what it's like to have a pet, a real pet. "Mum wasn't home last night!"

"She was doing her job, son." Jeremiah told him, although he too has a certain doubt in his voice.

James was beginning to run out of ideas "Since you're going to work, can you tell mom to get one? Her shift's ends today."

Jeremiah sighed, he stop tying his shoelaces to look at James. "I can tell her you wanted a cat, but I'm not sure if she'd agree with that."

James began to flush "Why not?"

"Well, for starters, we don't have any cat food." Jeremiah finished his shoelaces and stood up.

"We can share our dinner with it."

"No, that food is for us only. I'm not going to share my leftover rations with a cat!" Jeremiah said sternly, he walked passed James to get his duffel bag from his coffee table. He unzipped the back and checked its insides "Let's see… Toothbrush, water bottle…. Er, oh! Knife…" He muttered loudly.

"What if we give it my spinaches?" James said with caution.

"Cats don't eat vegetables," Jeremiah went around the room to look for his bowie knife, which only made James more comfortable. "That cat will die in a month if we only give it spinaches, plus your mother told you to eat those- Okay, where is my knife?"

James gulped as Jeremiah looked at him "It's… Um… With Jane…" He confessed.

Jeremiah's eyes widened "With Jane?! Where's Jane?" He was starting to sound furious.

"I-I told her not to play with it! She said she wanted to show her friends!" James defended himself.

"Where's Jane now?" Jeremiah went passed James to the door without looking at him.

"Erm, I don't know, Amanda's place?" James said, raising both shoulders.

Jeremiah grunted in irritation, he took his duffel bag from the coffee table before going out of the apartment room. The door closed with a thud, leaving James on the other side.

James sighed to himself, he sat on the leather couch uncomfortably when his thigh skin kept sticking on it as the heat began to envelope.

He pondered again, about cats. He started thinking about their multi colored furs, their soft but vicious nature, and their ability to land on the ground from unbelievable heights. He thought again, they live in a room pretty far up from the streets of the outside world, spotting a deer is hard from that height let alone a cat. He always imagined cat as a small, chubby, and cute animals, but can they survive outside the wall.

James started to feel more and more disappointed, his wish for a simple house cats began to thin as he thought of the odds.

Jane couldn't have seen a cat, because it would be super small if looked through their apartment window. He started thinking about the alternatives, can he get a goldfish? He read about goldfishes in a book called _What Pets Teach Us_ , they look less troublesome than cats, but where would he get fish foods? He threw away the thought of having a turtle, why would anyone have something so slow and boring? He also didn't want to have dogs, his mother said that dogs tend to be messy.

He was out of ideas, there was too many cons than pros of having pets. Where will they sleep? What will they eat? What if they get angry? Where would they go if they wanted to use the toilet? What about diseases?

James sighed again, louder this time. More and more possibilities of discomfort came to mind.

Then he heard the door knob turned, he looked behind him as the door pushed open. Jane entered the room with a rather downcast look, when she caught him sitting on the couch Jane made an impression of irritation, James immediately knew what had happened.

"Dad's mad yet?" James said coyly, holding back a grin.

"You should've covered for me! You promised!" Jane said with a raised voice.

"You're not allowed to carry a knife around!" James said, holding his ground trying not to be brought down by guilt "You're seven! Dad will know sooner or later!"

"I'm older than you!" Jane defended herself.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Do you even remember your own birthday?" James spat back, he knew Jane had forgotten. It was hard to keep track of days without calendars, they ran out of those two years ago.

Jane said nothing, instead she frowned with a deep blush of red. "You shouldn't have told him anyway!"

James crossed his arms "As if I wanted to get in trouble too! If you want dad to be angry at you, don't bring up me!"

She harrumphed, and stormed from the living room to their bedroom with her nose flared up. Saying nothing more.

James was left at the couch, anger starting to smoke. Has he taking it too far? Well, it was her fault anyway. But she did made him promised. James groaned irritably, the heat had made him hard to think. He had forgotten to ask her about cats and dogs and such.

 _I wish I could show off_ , James suddenly thought, his head thrown back to the couch back pillows. He stared at the ceiling with a sudden envy. _Do I have friends? All my life it was just Jane…_

He imagined himself with imaginary friends, how they would look up to him in awe, going on marvelous misadventures. Maybe he'll punch bullies in the face, will that get him friends? No, that would get him girlfriends.

"Eww…" James muttered.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

James was shaking, he had never been more scared and horrified. But ultimately, he felt more betrayed.

He held a bag in his arms, he wanted to throw it away so bad. He stood there in the middle of the streets of Times Square, in front of him was a crowd of survivors inside the wall. Front row armed with guns. The morning sun burned their faces, James could feel his cold sweats running down his nose and blew away by the wind, and the smell of decay from all the dead fungified victims filled the air.

Each and every one of their faces, filled with regret. They had known James all their lives, and he knew it was more than painful than anything to watch him go after they knew James was still alive.

That night they had agreed, to let him go. James had tried to tell them, he really did. But something held back his tongue from saying 'I am immune! I am immune!'. Somehow he hadn't stopped these people from banishing him. Somehow he knew it was definitely better for him to leave.

He saw Jane the night before, being held back by the people from seeing him. James heard her screaming of denials, the night before he just wanted everything to stop.

Belle stood in the middle of the crowd, armed with a shotgun, but her body could not support to lift it. She was in a dilemma, James knew everyone was. It was either kill him, or banish him.

At this point James wanted death more.

"STOP! WAIT!" A voice broke the silence. James looked up and saw the crowd began to move, Jane broke through the people but was held back by two. "DON'T DO THIS!" She shrieked to Belle.

Belle then took charge, she threw an arm in front of Jane to stop her from struggling free. "Stay back Jane! Please!"

That was it, James thought. Belle pulled the trigger.

"LET ME GO!" Jane shrieked angrily, she glared at Belle murderously. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! BELLE WHAT THE HELL?!"

Belle was left speechless, James could see that she was more hurt than anyone else. James threw the bag aside, he reached out a hand to help Jane, making the crowd stumbled back.

Jane finally broke free of their grasps, she ran towards James ignoring the yells behind her. James was glad that she was still on his side, but somehow it felt wrong.

Belle gritted her teeth, then she threw her gun aside. She let out a breath from her mouth, making James to be more careful of her next move.

"I can't do this…" Belle muttered, loud enough for James to hear. "I can't let more people get hurt…"

James frowned "Belle…"

Half of him was grateful that nobody shot Jane when she ran towards him, she clung to his arm, shaking furiously. James hugged her, wishing that this would all be over soon. He can't help but thinking that all of this was his fault, he looked back to all the things he could've done.

"Belle, just give me two days…" James pleaded again, he feared that it would be the last thing he will say to her. He lets go of Jane, waiting impatiently to Belle's response.

"Jane, if you want to go, then go." Belle looked down on her feet, earning a couple of disbelieved looks. James clenched his fists painfully, digging his nails into his palm.

Amanda suddenly broke out of the crowd, she pushed through several people to witness the event. She looked at James, then Belle, with incredulity.

Belle opened her mouth "I-I…" She stopped mid-sentence "I can't…"

James sighed, his stomach growling with fear and disgust, it hurts. He looked at Jane, looking at her who was in the brink of tears made his heart heavier. Jane should've stayed, it was safer for her. Only if they would listen to him.

"Hey!" Came a voice from the crowd. The elderly man from yesterday broke out of the first row formation, with the rifle in hand he walked up to them.

James and Jane did not budge, wondering what the elderly man was about to do the stood their ground. The elderly man stood right in front of Jane, she took a step back in a hurry.

The elderly man looked back to the crowd with hesitation, then he reached to the back of his pants. He held out a hand which was holding a revolver by the barrel, James and Jane stared at it with confusion.

"Take it." The elderly man said, with putting a mild glare at Belle. He popped the revolver's barrel out and showed it to Jane "Barrel, trigger, hammer. Always point forward."

Jane and James exchanged hesitated looks, Jane took the revolver with horrified eyes. She took a step back right after she had the revolver in her hands, James saw her popped open the barrel and stare at the bullets.

Jane looked up to the elderly man "Thank you…" She said softly.

"Don't sweat it kid." The elderly man said, then he turned around and walked away "It's the least I could do for you out there, try an' not get killed."

Amanda, Belle, and the rest said nothing. James sighed in submit, he looked at the already full packed backpack they gave him filled with canned foods and other survival kits. He puts it on his shoulder while looking down to his feet, Jane then pulled him by the arm away from the crowd.

"Wait!" Another voice yelled out, James and Jane knew that was Amanda calling them.

They looked back and saw her running towards them, with Belle with her hand reached out trying to grab her. Amanda went up to Jane and hugged her, Jane then hugged her back while holding her tears. James then noticed Amanda's jacket, his jacket.

"I should come with you…" Amanda said softly to Jane's ear.

Then Jane pushed her back slowly "It's alright, Am…" She gave her best friend an assuring smile. "I have to do this, you don't have to…"

"They kept talking about me…" Amanda cuts her "Ever since my arm…. They never trusted my since, they think it was too late…."

"Amanda…" James began.

Amanda then looked at James, she immediately removed her jacket with one arm, revealing her tank top. "Here…" Amanda said nonchalantly to James, who caught his blood stained jacket after she threw it.

James stared at his dark blue jacket, he could see the dried up blood on its dark blue cotton and white zipper. He tied the arms around his waist, and looked back at Amanda, who whispered "Thanks…"

James and Jane exchanged looks, they did not know what to do. Then James said to Amanda "I think it would be best for you to stay, Belle will keep you safe…"

Amanda frowned "I can't live here anymore," She stared at them, James could see her gulping "Because part of me are still scared that I would turn someday. And I don't want it to happen to them, or you. But maybe I could make sure that I'm not a carrier safely." Amanda rubbed her stump arm up and down her bandages.

James felt furious at that, now he know that there was nobody here that he could trust. But deep down he knew why they were acting that way, and he can't fight back their senses of survival.

They looked back at Belle, who was mouthing to Amanda something. James could see at her eyes that Belle was pleading to Amanda.

Amanda looked at Belle, then at her feet. Without further words she went passed James and Jane, walking further away from them and to the broken wall that separates the Times Square and the outside world. James and Jane looked at each other once more, before she pulled James by the arm and followed Amanda.

They didn't looked back, as they went through the broken wall of Times Square there was no more hope of home. Nobody came running to them again, it was time to be exiles.

James looked at the grasses he stepped, then he looked in front of him. Amanda was so far up front, she looked like she had no other doubts going with them. James turned to look at Jane, she was staring at her new revolver, observing it closely.

James could not stand the deafening silence between them, they walked forward aimlessly through the dead traffic of rusting cars. The city was silent as always, as the air began to cold Jane began to shed a tear.

James puts a hand on her shoulder as he wiped her eyes, still saying nothing. A cold gush of air blew down a few twigs and leaves from the trees growing off the side of buildings, the three of them stopped in their tracks. Nobody could see the Times Square again, it had been a few avenues when they walked.

James looked at his sister, he held her close with his hand on her face. Jane removed his hand and didn't give James even a glance, James sighed and took a step back. His sweat had run cold, the weather had turned from drastically in an instant. The cold winds brushing against leaves in an endless loop, each and every one of them stopped and looked down.

James dropped his backpack on the ground, and pieces of broken glass and asphalt clinked. "I'm sorry… For everything…. I guess it's my fault that everything comes up to this, I shouldn't have let you all leave in the first place." He was so very glad that he got that out, he didn't care if his voice was raspy, it was clear enough for him to say.

Neither Jane nor Amanda gave a comment, they both looked at him in guilty looks.

"It's alright…" Amanda said "How are you feeling?"

James rubbed the back of his shoulder, there was no new bite but neither of the girls knew it.

Jane suddenly broke down in tears, she sat on the ground while hugging her legs. James, feeling utterly dumbfounded, kneeled beside her and stroked her hair gently.

Amanda and James stared at Jane while she buried her head between her legs, a muffled sobbing broke through. James changed to a crouching position, his hands still trying to calm his sister down.

"I knew it… I-I fucking knew that- that it would be like this…" Jane sniffed, her voice was unusually high. James somehow couldn't tell her what had happened the day he went out the first time, how could he tell her that he was immune when he also had lied to her?

"It's- it's all m-my fault!" Jane cried out. "None of this would've happened… If-if…"

James gathered his words "I'll be fine. Trust me! I promise I won't turn, don't blame yourself for something in the past. I'm alright…"

Jane lifted half her head up "You promise?…"

Can he promise her? He wouldn't want to suddenly turn someday, what if his immunity was just a time bomb? But he had his determination, his thoughts went back to the present,

"I promise…"

Then, the night came. They wanted to stop their walk after night, sleep, and wake up in the crack of dawn. Going further again.

This part of the city was somewhat alien to them, but mostly the same as all the parts of the city. Instead of trees growing out of building windows or the sidewalk drainages, there were no trees at all. The leaves were falling from the shrubs of vines growing to a building, the roads were more flooded and the block somehow seemed more devastated than the block around Times Square. Somehow it was quiet, nothing in sight and no sound of clicking, or moaning, or choking at all.

And knowing where they are, it was very frightening. Mixing with the darkness as it envelops the environment, making James shaking uncontrollably.

Where they were going they didn't know, but until now, forward seemed like a good idea. They gathered around the fireplace James had made with a lighter and dead leaves.

James had Jane clinging on to him most of the time, asking if the bite hurts, or if he needed more water. Most of them ended up with "Tell me if anything's wrong."

James sat next to the bag "Let's just rest for a while, I'm guessing you guys are more than tired of this. Let's not push ourselves by walking tomorrow." Was there anything we could do to survive? James thought, maybe tomorrow they will already be tear apart limb from limb by Clickers. If they haven't ran into an Outsider first, of course.

Jane hesitated, she looked from James to Amanda. Who is still steadfast and forward, her eyes locked to the dark far streets.

"No, we need go further…" Amanda said in a rather strict voice, James and Jane only stared at her. Then Amanda continued "Jane and I knows a place…"

James's eyes widened, he instantly looked at Jane. Jane went stiff "I guess…" She said "W-we don't even know if they're still in town!"

"Who?" James said in confusion, his first guess that it must be Tyler but who are the rest?

Amanda bit her lip "There are more, than Tyler I mean, who were supposed to escort Tiffany out. I heard what you and Margie discussed …" She added bitterly.

James felt a rising curiosity in his heart "But who else? I mean… I get that there must be more than one person-"

"Amanda, we don't even trust them with the escorting…" Jane suddenly cuts him off "How can we trust them now?"

Amanda shot her a look "Because we don't have anywhere else to go! That food will not hold long for one person, but why not try three? It won't long before we get-" Amanda stopped mid-sentence as she began to tense, then she covered half of her frowning face with her hand. "I-I'm sorry… It's because I trust Tyler with my life, and if he trusted the Fireflies and so do I…"

James felt a wave of memories began to flood his mind, and a sudden feeling of disbelief fogged his thoughts. "Fireflies? You're kidding…" James muttered.

Jane looked at him "James?"

"They were the ones?" James said darkly to his feet.

Amanda stared at him "You've met them…"

James gulped, he nodded. Then he understood everything, but he still has a question in his mind. To him that it was unlikely, but were they right? About him being a cure? Without any other doubt he was more than determined to meet them again.

Jane too stared at him, but it was with disbelief "What were they like?"

Amanda too seemed curious to hear his answer.

James wanted to say mysterious, scary, and intimidating. "There were not so many of them," James answered, then he suddenly noticed something he hadn't before "But Tyler wasn't any one of them…"

James hesitated on going to the Fireflies, he began to question them more.

Amanda began to darken "Then we must go, before the storm hits."

James looked to the sky, only to see a starless night "What storm?"

"I've been seeing it around lately." Amanda said "And I think it's coming sooner than later."

James nodded in slight agreement, it did explain why it was so hot that morning.

"Wait, how did you know where they live?" James asked both Amanda and Jane. "I thought you were only given the information on where you would meet?"

Jane and Amanda exchanged glances. "We were…" Jane said softly.

"So we don't know where they are…?" James said in an exasperated sort of voice.

"No." Amanda snapped suddenly, her fist clenched and gaze lowered. "But we still need to find them, it's our only chance of survival."

"Amanda…" Jane walks up to her and puts a hand on Amanda's shoulder "We could always go to the farm." She smiled reassuringly.

James eyes widened at the sudden realization. _Yes! The farm!_ He thought, "You know where it is?"

Jane's face contorted a little as she tried to remember. "Dad once said that it was in a place full of trees in the middle of the city, a giant park big enough to hold a couple of houses and crops, and safe from the dangers of the outside world." Jane said in a Jeremiah-sort-of voice.

James had a lightbulb inside of his head "It must be the Central Park! I-I've seen it in a book of maps a few times."

"Don't you think it's weird," Amanda said suddenly "That they put the farm so far from the wall?"

James and Jane stared at her, James scratched the back of his head "I guess, that it's because that's the only place to grow some food."

"That's a stupid excuse," Amanda cuts him off, then she turned to Jane with a scowl "You said it yourself, 'big enough to hold a couple of houses and crops' and 'safe from the dangers of the outside world'. It's like they are trying to cover something up from us."

The atmosphere began to change, James began to feel very uneasy "What are you talking about…"

Amanda looked at him from her shoulder "Think about it James, how many times you asked your dad about the farm? And how many times he gave you any real answers?"

It was James's and Jane's turn to exchange their glances, both of them had a thunder struck expressions.

James had no intention to continue the conversation, he quickly stood up and cuts in "It doesn't matter now, we just need a safe place to sleep."

"James is right," Jane said, backing James up "They have crops and everything, and we're just here sitting in the dark in the middle of the streets, out in the open, waiting to be killed."

Amanda didn't bother to comment, she looked away from the twins and began treating her lost arm. James stared at her thoughtfully.

"Does… Does it still hurt?" James said in a shaky voice.

Amanda didn't answer at once "Yes." She mumbled.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Amanda told him "I already said that you saved my life, and I'm grateful for that…" Her voice was rather sounded like she was being forced to say that.

James looked down towards the flames, feeling the hotness of the fire kissing his cheeks, warding off the cold air of the night.

"What now then?" Jane suddenly said.

James and Amanda looked at her. James held his tongue before he asked her "What do you mean?" Because she quickly added another question.

"Where do we go to now? We haven't decided where we would go." Jane said in a monotone, almost as if she had lost all hope.

James and Amanda exchanged looks, then Amanda waved him off, gesturing that he should take the rights to choose.

James scratched his chin, he needed all his focus to survive, weighing the outcomes of good and bad of his decisions.

"I think," James began, Amanda and Jane waited curiously "We have more chance at the farm, Jane's right, they have food and water and bed. All we need to survive. But…" James said again, earning a couple of raised eyebrows "Like Amanda said, it is really weird if I think about it. But then again, it doesn't matter yet…"

"There's also one more thing." Amanda said, looking at James straight in the eye "You're bit. You're threatening the lives of everyone there, including your father."

James bit his lip, how is he going to explain it to her?

"He's not going to endanger any of us!" Jane said loudly "What if he's immune, Amanda? What if everything the Fireflies said were true?"

"Then why not go to them?" Amanda said calmly, then he turned to James "If you're immune, then why not share your immunity? I don't know if you've heard, but the Fireflies are working on a cure, you know."

James did know, which is why he was more than determined to fix the world. He couldn't wait to wipe of the infection off the face of the earth.

"Yes, exactly!" Jane said, loudly again.

" **IF** he is immune…" Amanda said sharply "If he isn't, then what's next? You would turn regardless on whatever places you go, if you're not immune that is."

Jane gulped "He is immune, there's still a possibility."

"Hmm? What's that? A possibility?" Amanda said in a hurtful sarcastic tone "How surprising…"

"Girls! Shut up!" James took charge, he took his confidence and put it into his mouth "I know I'm immune! I know I'm not going to turn! Because…" James paused "Because I made a promise to her. And I won't break that promise!"

Amanda did not say anything after that, nor did Jane. They all silently watched the flames of the campfire dancing in front of them, minutes by minutes they were going smaller.

Amanda sighed loudly "I'm going to get more firewood."

James immediately stops her "No, let me. Like I said before, I don't want to push you guys into exhausting yourselves."

He stood up and went to his bag to pick up a flashlight, he searched around the avenue for pickable sources of fire. His footsteps rang in the dark, he was not afraid of it anymore, he knew he would survive again. As his optimistic thoughts began filling his head, he began walking further away from the campfire.

His eyes caught somehting gleaming on the asphalt, a metal object round in shape. He picked it up with his free hand and looked at it closely.

"A pendant?" He muttered to himself.

Before he knew it, a ray of blinding light appeared out of nowhere in front of him. He shielded his eyes with his hands, he took a few steps back, avoiding the person holding the light source.

"JAMES?!" Came a voice of Amanda from the campfire.

As he looked behind him, he saw that there were more than one mysterious person. But their faces were darkened by the blinding flashlights they all held.

James quickly went beside Amanda and Jane, who were already on their feet and alarmed.

They were circled by the flashlights, the three of them shielded the rays of lights from their eyes. The mysterious figures were everywhere.

"Well I'll be damned…" Said a voice, a simple _Oh no!_ came in James's head.

The person who said that lowered his flashlight, which they realized that it was connected to an assault rifle.

Morton's face was lit by the flashlight, and so did Ferguson's and the rest of the Fireflies as they lowered their flashlights.

James, Amanda, and Jane are totally bewildered.

"When I said that you're lost, I had already thought that you have found a way back home." Morton made a grin of disbelief "I didn't think that you'd be lost this fucking long!"

"Shut up…" James could not stand that side of Morton.

"Believe me when I say you don't want me to shut up." Morton said, then he turned to his men "Go get the car, we're wasting time here!"

A few of them scattered to the same direction, James now knew they have a mode of transportation.

"W-who are you?" Jane said in a stutter.

Morton looked at her, and a widening of eyes was his answer. "You didn't tell your girlfriends about me? How very rude of you!" He said to James.

James wanted to rip what's left of his short beard. He couldn't believe it! Right after he made the decision to go to his father?

"You're 'him' aren't you?" Amanda asked, she was calming down.

"You have to be more specific, girly." Morton gave a small smirk.

"You're the Fireflies!"

Morton nodded "You Amanda?"

Amanda's face lighten up "I am!"

Morton scanned her from bottom to top "Sorry, but if I may ask, shouldn't you have two arms?"

Amanda's face contorted into rage, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry ma'am, Tyler is dying to see you. That's why we were scouting the area for two days, who would've known thay it was worth the cries of young Tyler." Morton smiled in satisfaction.

Amanda looked like one of her buttons had been clicked as the name Tyler was said "Where is he?!"

Their attentions went to the two headlights of a car, along with the roaring of a giant machine coming right at them. James and Jane took a step back quickly in reflex, then the massive cargo truck parked right in front of them.

Someone jumped down from the massive transportation, a tall but scrawny looking boy, his hair was black and tied back into a ponytail. He looked more than dumbfounded looking at James and Jane, but his eyes drifted off to Amanda quickly.

"A-Amanda!"

* * *

 ** _Well... Shoot..._**

 ** _I'm running out of ideas for a chapter name, but it can't be THAT hard, right? I mean, how many songs are there in the world?_**

 ** _Oh! And I forgot to tell you that chapter 4 "Everything Has Changed" have been replaced..._**

 ** _This time, hopefully I can finish chapter 8 quickly!_**

 ** _Review and share your opinions!_**


	8. Lost Stars

**_YAY! Thank you Captain Inspiration!_**

 ** _This part came faster than expected! So. Much. Ideas!_**

 **Guest: Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it. And about the i*** part, don't worry, I have a few plans on the later chapters *sly grin***

 _ **Please review! And read on!**_

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James felt the coldness of winter run down his spine, his feet are all shaky and bitten by frost. Of course if his father was there he would've told James to cover everything up from top to bottom no exceptions, fortunately Jeremiah was having his yearly shift at the farm, _un_ fortunately James began to think that maybe his father was sort of right, sort of.

James sighed loudly as he went back to his apartment and went out again with socks on his feet.

Now that his feet are covered, he suddenly felt the need to cover his neck from the snow falling from the sky. So he went back to his apartment with a heavy heart, covering himself with his father's red scarf, and went back out again.

Times Square was now filled with snow, it was hard to move around so each and every one of the citizens had their own snow shovels, some even had their own makeshift ways to get rid of snow piles. Now that winter is here, James had been dying to play some snowballs because last year he had been sick. He knew he shouldn't have drank that stale instant hot cocoa, even Jane wouldn't stop laughing about it the whole last year's winter.

James looked around the area as he stood on the middle of Times Square, wondering where Jane was in his mind. She had been gone this morning, no note that she would be going out.

Well, she was probably in Amanda's so maybe he should go look for her.

"Morning, James." Speak of the devil. James turned around to see both Amanda and Margie walking passed him, Amanda gave him a little wave and he waved back, as Margie covered her face with her thick wool scarf.

James watched as those two walked away from him giggling, Amanda nudged Margie's shoulder and Margie hits her back with a light shove.

James walked away from the scene, feeling weird tastes in his mouth, he was sure that it was awkwardness. He continued his search for Jane, knowing that she wasn't with Amanda maybe Jane was somewhere else. Tiffany could be a good idea.

James avoided any contact of his bottom feet with a snow, his shoes is not fit to walk on them. He took a moment to look at his icy breath in the air, putting his hands on his jacket pocket to keep them warm.

It was then that James saw someone in the distance, a taller boy with a bottle green jacket and a grey cargo snow pants. James approached him until he saw that the taller boy was flirting with other girls, he stood back and watched as the girls stomped away from the scene after shoving the taller boy away, their noses flared up in the air.

"Oy! I said I was sorry!" Said the voice of Tyler in an exasperated tone.

James watched as the girls got out of sight as they entered a building lobby, probably looking for warmth and distance from Tyler.

James turned to look at his ridiculously tall friend "What were you doing?" He asked rhetorically.

"Can you believe girls?" Tyler began with a rather disgusted look "I mean, come on! It's not like I wanted to snog a girl the first time I met 'em!"

"Do you?" James raised his eyebrow.

"Course not!"

"Your accent is showing again."

"… Which means?"

James shrugged "You always do that when you're desperate, sometimes when you lie."

Tyler glared at him, the he shook his head. "Anyway, wotcher James?"

"Not much, have you seen Jane anywhere?" James asked.

"Can't think that I have, tried Amanda yet?" Tyler circled him.

"She was out with Margie." James explained, he waited for a reply from Tyler, but as James looked at him, Tyler was busy staring at those girls he had just failed to flirt with.

James shook his head in disappointment "How did _that_ happen anyway? It's not THAT hard, talking to girls."

"Have you even tried? Talking to girls I mean." Tyler shot him a look.

James shrugged again "You don't see Amanda doing that to me."

"First: it's _Amanda_ …" Tyler raised a finger up at James face "And second: it' bloody _YOU!_ Lastly: it's _AMANDA!_ "

James scoffed at him "At least try to act friendly-ish, don't talk like all you want from a girl is to shag them."

Tyler raised his eyebrow "Ain't you supposed to be too young to say that kind of stuff?"

"Aren't you supposed to be too old to hit on girls _younger_ than me?" James hit him back.

Tyler said nothing, which only proves James's point. James however only chuckled and shook it off, he nudged Tyler on the arm playfully.

Tyler made a half smile "Well, at least I have more chance on getting a girlfriend."

James laughed internally. _Well wouldn't you want to know?_ He thought in his head, not knowing that he was smiling coyly.

Tyler however, caught him smirking to himself. "What are you smiling 'bout?"

James looked at Tyler's raised eyebrow, then he fake coughed and puts his hand back in his jacket pockets. "Just, remembered something funny, that's all…" James lied, giving an innocent grin.

Tyler paused to look at him weirdly, then he looked back at the girls he had just flirted with. "Anyway," Tyler began "Give Jane some complimentary kiss on the cheek from me." Tyler winked at James before going on his way.

James just stared as he was utterly dumbfounded, he watched as Tyler joined some of his friends as they asked him to play a game. Tyler laughed and nodded, James, knowing Tyler, knew that whatever games that Englishman is playing it wouldn't be good.

But James turned around and walked towards Tiffany's apartment building, as he did he greeted a few people that knew him, as he entered the lobby he realized that Tiffany's apartment was more smaller but cleaner than his and Jane's. The counter was located in the right corner of the room with computers and documents all had been put in order unlike his apartment which had papers all over the floor, the elevator was located on his left but there was only one albeit his apartment had two broken elevators.

James noticed a woman walking pass him, then he hurried to pull the woman's sleeve.

The woman looked at him in curiosity "Yes?" She said.

James gulped "Do you know where Tiffany lives?"

The woman's eyes softened at his question "Oh, yes, it's on the third floor, room 36."

James nodded and said thank you, and went on his way.

As he was putting his hand on the railing of the stairs as he reached the end of the hallway, he heard a soft bell at the elevator. He looked back and saw the elevator door slowly opening apart, James was transfixed on the spot, watching as two people walked out of the elevator talking to each other.

James hurried himself inside the elevator before the door closed again, once he was inside he began to feel useless. Why did he go in an elevator when he didn't know how elevators work?

James stared at the buttons on the wall, determined to go to the next floor he pressed the button 3 on the control box. James readied himself for whatever was coming, then he felt the ground shook, and his body was losing a little bit of balance. James smiled to no one in particular, is this what riding an elevator feels like? So weird!

James heard the doorbell ring, and the elevator door slid apart. He walked out of the elevator, and looked around, he hadn't been here before so luckily the door had numbers on it.

James looked around, the floor was made of ceramics and was so very smooth. But what he was confused the most was that the light on the ceiling, the electricity was working here?

James noticed a number 36 on a door, he knocked on it twice, expecting the resting face Tiffany always have when she looks at him. As he heard the footsteps coming from the room but nobody came opening the door he began tapping his foot on the ceramic floor impatiently, James knocked on the door again.

"Just a minute!" Came a voice of Jane.

James was surprised to see Jane opening the door, James stared at her from bottom to top, she was wearing only a loose rock band t-shirt and a short boxer briefs that barely looked like an underwear.

"Come in, and close the door." Jane said, returning back to the apartment room.

"What are you doing here?" James asked her, closing the door behind him.

"Well. Tiffany's sick, so I kind of wanted to help her today." Jane said.

James took a moment to look around the room, Tiffany's home was smelling highly of leather though none of it was to be found anywhere, everything was neatly placed even the decorations.

Jane stopped at her tracks, she looks at James before getting off her shoes "You should take off your shoes, she doesn't like it if there's snow and dirt everywhere."

James nodded curtly and removed his snow stained shoes, leaving him in his socks. He took a step towards the living room, he took a glance around until he heard a soft voice coming from one of the bedrooms.

"Jane, who is it?" Tiffany said through the crack of the door, James saw her covered in blankets and being compressed with a piece of cloth on her forehead.

Then Tiffany moved her head, and her eyes were locked on James. She made a scowl "Oh…"

James wasn't surprised, of course. But he wished that she would be friendlier "Tch." He said through his teeth.

Jane cuts between them, holding a plate of soup "Before you two even imagine about strangling each other, why don't you take a seat?" She narrowed her eyes at James.

"Wait Jane," James called his sister "How come you don't feel cold?"

Jane blinked at his question "The generators here are working again, so we could change the heat with Tiffany's heating system."

James nodded in understanding, he sat down on the couch of the living room, slowly removing his scarf and unzipped his jacket as the heat was starting to rise. He saw a TV, but what good will it do without TV channels? If he hadn't had any DVD systems, he would kill to watch _Dawn of the Wolf Part 2_.

James rested his head on the back pillows of the sofa, smelling the freshly made soup in the air he was beginning to get hungry.

He felt a light tug on the end of the sofa, he looked up and saw Jane.

"Sorry, did I take too long?" Jane said as she sat down beside him.

James shook his head "Not really."

"So, what are you doing here?" Jane asked him.

"Well, I was looking for you." James shrugged, then he pointed at Tiffany's room "What's wrong with her, anyway?"

Jane bit her lip, just before she was going to answer another, angrier voice broke the silence.

"DON'T YOU DARE, JANE!" Tiffany yelled loudly from her room, making both James and Jane jumped.

James raised both his shoulders, and mouthed to Jane " _What_?"

Jane held her lips as a giggle escaped her mouth, then she whispered to him "She's having her… Um, you know!"

James curled his lips and narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Jane sighed loudly, then she put on an awkward smile "She's having her first period…"

James's expression dropped and began to turn blank, a faint pink was showing on his cheeks. Was Jane whispering the truth? Even James knew Jane had her period long ago, and it was still an inconvenience for him.

"I probably should attend to her now…" Jane threw her thumb in the direction of Tiffany's room.

James saw her standing up, maybe it was time for him to leave to, because he was starting to feel bored here. But then he remembered something.

James also stood up from the couch and went to grab Jane's shoulder, as Jane swiveled around to look at him, James give a quick peck on the cheek.

James let go of her and mouthed to Jane "Complimentary kiss!"

Jane give giggle and a shook of a head as Jane walked towards the door.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

James felt something was wrong, maybe it was the nausea from dealing the constant shaking of the cargo truck as it drove, or maybe it was the fact that he didn't know where he was going. Maybe both.

James looked around the cargo truck, he was sort of getting squished between two of Morton's men, while sitting across from him was Jane with a rather terrified look. It was lucky and mostly relieving that Amanda decided to sit beside her.

It was then that James decided to look to the back of, he hadn't gotten a good sleep for days, good sleeps that doesn't involve him overthinking basically everything. And once he had the feeling that he could sleep, he saw the horizon was starting to gain color.

"Morning's comin' up." Someone said, an unfamiliar voice that made James turn to look.

He realized that Morton's men had lost a few of their members, there only about a half of them left. But according to what he had heard from Morton the other day, it turns out that the Fireflies were a large group of people that might be everywhere, and one particular called 'Marlene' in Boston.

Where was Boston again? Right above New York, right?

"Think they're still on to us?" Ferguson said. James could not forget southerner's heavy voice.

Morton, who is standing between his men and the driver's seat, looked up. "What was that?"

"Those fuckers from before," Ferguson stated with a monotone.

"What about them?"

"Do you think they are still on our fuckin' tail?"

Morton thought for a moment "Can't be, we've had gotten far enough from them in two days. Would be a miracle that they'd catch up."

James, Jane, and Amanda made no sound. Still, James wanted to ask him, ask Morton, about his so-called cure the Fireflies were working on.

But looking at Morton again, James realized that he was different from what he had thought. Morton mostly looked like he has his head into a deep thought, much like James.

James finds himself looking to his feet, wondering what will happen to him, to his friends. He looked at his situation first, was he being kidnapped? Saved? He doesn't even know these people, heck he barely even known Tyler, who he began to question more as James realized that Tyler was indeed one of the Fireflies.

James couldn't tell if the Fireflies were scared of him, or just relief that they had found a cure. Because none of them gave any attention to him whatsoever. Maybe it's because they were armed, and that way he can't do anything to them.

He felt his heart jumped, in surprise. As Morton suddenly banged his fist loudly on the inner walls of the cargo truck.

"Alright! Stop here!" Morton ordered.

Tyler, who is driving the cargo truck, suddenly stops the truck. Making inertia pushed James's body to the front. James grumbled as he steadied and balanced himself to his feet, as the screeching sound of the brakes stops, all the Morton's men got to their feet.

"Alright, listen up! You all now know that there are more people here than we thought, and once we're outside you are NOT allowed to engage unless I tell you to." Morton said to his men. "Now move out!"

James raised his eyebrow, no knowing that he let out a faint sound from his mouth "What?"

Morton glanced at him "James was it?"

James only nodded, he exchanged glances with Jane and Amanda. They three sat there while all Morton's men jumped out of the cargo truck.

"You came from Times Square?"

"Yeah, I am." James said, picking up his courage.

"Then this place will be good for you…"

But as James looked at Morton closer, his expressions said otherwise. James watched as Morton jumped down the truck, he too looked outside along with Amanda and Jane.

The area was brownish from the leaves of the trees, with a stain of green from ones that hadn't come off. James stepped down on a pile of dead leaves, he stared at them for a few seconds, scraping his shoes on THAT much leaves felt so very abnormal.

James helped both Jane and Amanda down, they were also had their eyes wide as they looked around the area.

James felt the weather was about to drop, he rubbed his arms with both his hands to regain heat. But his eyes were still open and filled with amazement, never in his life that he had seen so many trees. Was this the forest? But there is cobblestone underneath the leaves under his feet, and he could still see vine grown buildings in the distance.

"Hey! You lot!" Came the voice of Tyler.

James looked around and saw the tall boy coming towards them in a black sweater and green cargo pants, a very wide smile fixed to his face.

"Holy shit!" Tyler said, tears was forcing itself out of Tyler's eyes as he hugged Amanda first. "I missed you guys! I-I saw what happened to Times Square, I was so worried."

James chuckled and smiled in relief, "Where have this side of you been?"

Tyler turned to the twins, a look of disbelief etched along with his smile. "You guys bloody survived! I can't believe it! I-" Tyler's smiled faded, looking at Amanda in a dark look.

Amanda raised her eyebrow, but then she looked down sadly too.

"What? What?" Tyler held her close, panic was flooding him like his sweats.

James quickly looked away in guilt, Jane stared at him with worry and wraps a hand around his. Trying to tell him that he's alright.

Amanda sighed, still not looking towards Tyler "I'll explain later, it's been a long day."

"No! NO! What happened to you?!"

"Tyler…" Amanda murmured.

James was fixed on the spot, until Jane pulled his hand and brought him away from the scene. "Let's give them and you some time alone…" She whispered.

James however was less pleased "Jane… I think I can't seem to shake this, no, all of it away…"

Jane shrugged, then she placed a hand on his shoulder gently "How do you feel?"

James tensed up, he had enough of lying to her. "Jane, I need to tell you something…"

Jane blinked rapidly at him "What is it?"

James looked around, knowing that he was far from the scene and any of Morton's men he opened his mouth. But he closed it shut again as he heard a rustling in the leaves.

James saw Morton coming from behind Jane, both of the twins looked at the man in slick black hair in cautious. Morton had an assault rifle in his arms.

"James, can I talk to you for a bit?" Morton said to James in a monotone.

James looked at Jane, who had a disappointed look on her face. James sighed and cups a hand on her face, "I'll be right back…"

But before he knew it, Jane kissed him on the lips by surprise. James had his eyes wide in shock, but closed them in bliss. It felt very different from last time, it tasted like tears, and a mix of feeling spread throughout his body. They parted their lips and stared at each other gazes for a few second.

"Be careful…" Jane whispered, her eyes were leaking tears.

James felt a slight pink on his cheeks and the warmness he still felt on his lips, he nodded to her and went passed Morton, who said nothing at what he just saw.

"What is it…" James said as he walked with Morton.

"It's about my offer…" Morton said.

"I'll take it." James said with no hesitation.

Morton raised an eyebrow "Are you sure? I haven't told you the-"

"I said I'll take it…" James snapped coldly.

Morton said nothing.

"Where are we?" James asked "Are we at central park?"

"No, we're much further…" Morton murmured and gazed forward.

James lowered his gaze, much further? From the farm? Where were they then?

"Hey, what did you mean that this place is 'good for me'?" James asked again.

"I know a few people, they came from the same place you did."

James bit his lip, he stared at Morton "How did you know them?"

"Honestly," Morton said "I only knew one person, none of them know me… Yet."

"Who?"

"You're very nosy, you know that?"

James shrugged "That's what kept me alive." It was true after all.

Morton sighed "That girl you're with before…"

"Yeah, what about her?" James shot him a look.

"I promised her mother I'd bring her back, but sadly…" Morton did not continue after.

James knew what he was about to say "How do you know her mother, anyway?"

"Don't you think you're going too far?"

"No. I don't think I do, really. I need to know…" James shot Morton with daggers as a glare.

"We knew each other from the past, that's all you need to know." Morton answered, a blank look on his face.

James did not push himself further, Morton was the one with the gun. He looked away from the man, and looked at the leaves that falls because of the wind.

"Now, I need to warn you about something. I think you already know that my offer is for the sake of humanity, and nothing comes greater than that…" Morton said, his face began to soften "But sometimes we do experiments, tests for cures, and none of them worked for twenty years…"

"I don't care." James said, almost simply "And I am not doing this for the sake of humanity. I'm not doing this for the greatness, trust me. I just want _her_ to be safe in the world."

Morton nodded "I see, but listen to me. If you are really sure about this, then you must know that we have to go to Salt Lake City for this. Do you understand the complications here? We have to go around the state just to get you a test that we don't even know you'll survive it, we don't even know if the doctor's that will give you the tests is still alive, not to mention packs of Infected and robbers on our way. And that costs a lot."

James stared at the distance, saying nothing. He hadn't thought about that, he looked back at his past mistakes, looking for an excuse for himself to keep him going. But somehow, the complications still lingers in his head. The possibilities are endless, somehow his brain finds a way to come up with more gruesome ideas of how he would die.

James sighed "If I were to die, then I don't want it to be useless."

"Yeah?" Morton crossed his arms and put the assault rifle on the ground "What if _she_ dies?"

James felt his face contorted "She won't… Because that's the whole point of this offer, to keep her alive."

Morton looked away in disappointment, he looked like he was in a dilemma. James stared at his face, the one he thought was obnoxious and straight forward was having his own personal problems. But what is it?

"You okay? You looked like you're against me on this…" James said to him.

Morton glanced up from his thoughts, which he had just shook off. "Well, if you're sure, I'm sure."

James felt a little doubtful towards the grown man, but he shook his thoughts off too. James heard a lot of rustlings until they realized that Morton's men had already going on their way. James still hadn't known where they were going, it looked like Morton knew his way so he didn't bother to ask him.

He began to catch up with them, he walked lastly in the back of the group. He silently stared at Amanda who had Tyler clinging on to her like a mother who is scared for her newborn baby, James felt a twist in his stomach.

"James?"

James swiveled his head around and saw Jane walking beside him. He tilted his head in confusion.

"What did he said to you?" Jane asked, her voice was low enough for only him to hear.

"Well, remember when I said that I need to tell you something?" James began.

Jane nodded, she waited for him to answer "What is it?"

"Alright, how do I do this…" James muttered to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose in stress. Then he looked at Jane straight in the eye "The truth is, I wasn't actually bit by Margie."

Jane raised her eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"I was bit the first time I was in the outside world with that, and before that I was really looking forward to it. Ironic, huh?" James give an empty laugh, he couldn't bare himself looking at Jane again. "I couldn't stand lying to you since, I was afraid that I would someday turn on you, but I'm glad I didn't. Somehow I still feel that all of this is my fault…"

Jane did not answer quickly, she bit her lip and looked down. "Does dad know?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Oh."

There was a bit of silence between them, until James decided to tell her more. "When I ran to Morton, and, the Fireflies, I was kind of suspected of being infected. Then I blurted out that I'm immune, I didn't expected them to believe me, of course. But then they checked my bite, and decided that I'm immune. He gave me an offer-"

"James wait…" Jane cuts him off, she puts a hand on his shoulder. "He offered you a cure, did he?"

James nodded.

"Don't do it." Jane said sternly.

James glances up "Why?"

"Firstly, I don't have to know what they do. Because even in twenty years, nobody had gotten close to the cure yet!" Jane said.

"Maybe it's because I am their only chance! Maybe that I can save the world this way!" James said, feeling a bit self-righteous.

"What would happen to me if something happened to you?" Jane asked him, with a voice a bit croaky.

James stared at her "I am doing this for _you_!"

Jane held her mouth closed, she looked doubtful at him.

"Jane, I know I'm immune, but I don't know if you are too. I don't want Amanda, Tyler, and especially you to end up like Margie…" James paused "Or Tiffany… Or mom…"

Jane said nothing, she looked at him with eyes full of worry.

"It's not that I don't trust you…" James hastily added, picking up his thoughts as he walked. "I-It's just that, I want you to trust _me_!"

The wind blew between them, picking up a few leaves as it did. James looked around the area, there were small structures of stones that looked like a broken fence, the cobblestone roads were slightly flooded with water, and he could see beyond the trees a grassy hill with brown and green splattered all over it as dead leaves mixed with the grasses.

He realized that they were going up the hill, out to the treeless patch of grass. James had his eyes transfixed upon a stray cat. A real cat.

"Jane look!" James whispered loudly towards his sister.

Jane looked at where James is pointing, her eyes widened as she saw the tabby ginger cat hiding behind the dead bushes, watching them carefully from the distance.

James chuckled very quietly, still looking at the cat as it skittled away.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Boomed an angry voice from the top of the hill.

James looked up, and looked at the source of the voice. The Fireflies had their guns ready as they encounter a group of men outnumbering them as each and every one of the strangers had guns, each had their own rifles or shotguns, some even held a sawed off, pistol, or revolver.

James shielded Jane with his back, he looked around the area, and he and the Fireflies were indeed outnumbered.

Morton held his palm up "Stand down, men."

The Fireflies looked at him for a few seconds, until they decided to lower their assault rifles with expressions of disbelief. Even James wondered what Morton was doing.

"It's okay! They're alright!" Said a voice from the group of strangers. But this time it came from a woman.

James and the others looked at the source of the voice, they saw a young woman in her forties with light dirty blonde hair. A stern look on her face, mixed with no hesitations made her looked like the leader. She waltz through her men, and walked towards the Fireflies with her long black overcoat and grey scarf.

"You know them?" Said one of the strangers.

The woman observed the group, then she pointed at Morton "I know him…"

"Oh my god- JAMES!" Another voice suddenly broke through "JANE!"

The twins had their eyes widened, they saw him running towards them from the circle of men. He threw his shotgun aside and went up to James and Jane from under the hill. James's heartbeat began to race, and nothing came to his mind anymore.

James and Jane automatically went up to him by running, they kept themselves from leaking out tears of joy. The twins wrapped their arms around their father, and Jeremiah hugged back. James never felt happier as he saw him again.

* * *

 ** _And that's a wrap for this chapter, whew! And last night I can't stop thinking about the plot holes, but that is gone now!_**

 ** _Because now I'm thinking about ideas that I'll eventually forget! (Kidding)_**

 ** _Thank you Captain Inspiration! Nobody gives ideas and takes them back like you do!_**

Captain Inspiration: Why thank you, young writer!

 ** _I was being sarcastic... At least Master Procrastinator isn't here..._**

Master Procrastinator: YOU FOOL! I WAS HERE ALL ALONG! NOW I BANISH THEE TO THE TRENCH OF LAZYNESS!

 ** _Oh ffs..._**


	9. The Hills

**_Hey guys, it's me again. This chapter came out late and I'm very sorry for that, I know you all have been waiting but wait no more cause here it is! CHapter 9 is finally out with almost 7000 words!_**

 ** _Shoutout to_ Moka-girl _for making me realize my mistakes, yes I will fix them but in a later moment because I am focusing on chapter 10! WAAAH! Hopefully this chapter will receive more reviews and follows, because I'm not writing all of this for nothing! *le cry*_**

 ** _Lastly, to get things straight, I want to tell you a few things._**

 ** _A) I've had realized that the character development here is not showing at all, but at the same time I am afraid that I might take things too quickly. So not only that I will edit a few things, I will also make a character development chart and that means less time for me to update and write *le cry again*_**

 ** _B) GRAMMAR MISTAKES ARE NIGH! Like I said before, if you see one mistake you can inform me. It's really important that I must know about it, because then I could learn to be better at writing._**

 ** _Oh, and also the incest part... If guys are complaining about it... It's fixed in this chapter..._**

 ** _Read on..._**

 ** _And review..._**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James heard the noise of alarm blaring continuously, making him mad. He looked out the window of his and Jane's room, staring darkly towards the rays of lights shining from the flashlights of the people below.

The guards were like ants, a colony of lost and confused ants. As they all tried to keep the area clear of people, for the wall was about to be breached.

James kept his eyes fixed, and his imagination had gone wild.

He gasped in surprise when a loud gunfire was heard, he saw that a wall guard had shot something that was stuck on the gap of the wall. He couldn't see what was being shot outside the wall, but it looked like they were trying to keep it that way, trying to keep something outside.

James pressed his head against the dust stained glass, looking closely on the action. Their faces were dark and unrecognizable. But their voices could be heard clearly, screams for help, and horrendous choking sounds he had never recognized before.

He jumped up in fear as the front door was suddenly barge open, and the booming voice of his father shot in.

"STAY HERE JANE! FOR THE LAST TIME, JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Jeremiah said in a furious voice. James tiptoed towards the living room, carefully not to let himself get mad at too.

He saw Jane took a step forward towards Jeremiah. "WHAT ABOUT MOM! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!" Her voice boomed.

"I'm not!" Jeremiah snapped angrily, he jabs a finger angrily at James once he saw his son. "TAKE CARE OF HER! Don't let her comes out of this room!"

James wanted to call him back, but Jeremiah had already left the room in a hurry, slamming the door behind him. And then James was left with his sister Jane in the living room, a single candle lit the whole room while the voices outside kept barging in.

Jane bit her fingers, circling the couch hastily as she did. James stood there by the doorway with both his hands tightly shut against his ears as the noise was getting louder, looking down towards the floor while trying to keep his balance as his world was spinning madly.

James had had it, he wanted it to stop. Without further thinking he hastily walked towards the door "We can't leave them outside! We should call them in!"

Jane then grabs his shoulder and pulls him back before he reaches the doorknob, she turns him around so he could face her. "Dad said we stay! And we're staying!"

James scowled "I'm going to help him! I'm not going to leave them to die!"

"They're not going to-!" Jane's voice was cut off as James slaps her arm away "Dad is out there dealing with whatever he's dealing with! And he's stronger than all of us!"

"What if something happens, Jane?!" James yelled.

"Nothing will happen!" Jane yelled back, eyes swelling with tears. "Dad said they had dealt with this before!"

It was then that James did not fight back, his fists clenched and his knuckles whitened as he seemed to be tightening his grip more and more. His darkened eyes filled with horror and wanting, _but what if?_

James couldn't shake the voice in his head. _What if, James? What if something happened? What if mom and dad died? What will happen to you then? No one to cook you food, no one to sing you to sleep, and no one to keep you away from the infected people!_

No, James was not like that. Or so as he thought. A rising feeling of envy towards his sister began to show as flashes of memories began coming into his head, he didn't want to remember all of the time when Jane was the special snowflake. He wanted to win.

"NO!" James cried, his throat ached as he screamed. "I'M NOT STAYING HERE! I'M GOING!"

His dad's words were forgotten, keep an eye on Jane he said. Always keep Jane safe.

James trusted his father one hundred percent, but he was not going to bail on him that easily. He knew Jeremiah was strong, and his mother was strong as well. He wanted Jane to see that he can be trusted to help, he had no doubts about it. Right?

"I know that look." Jane suddenly said in a sharp tone. James did not realize that he had been looking down towards the floor, he looked up to see her standing taller than him.

"You're worried. And I am too. But I don't want you to get hurt!" Jane walked up to him, arms wide open. James only stare at her, waiting for her to continue "Please James!"

James gulped, but he kept himself on his ground now that all his determination is just wanting to win the argument. But knowing Jane as a sibling, this won't end without a proper action.

Jane and James stared at each other's eyes for a moment, a pause of suspense happened between them. James knew the look on Jane's eyes, it was a confusing mixtures of feelings.

James hesitated for a moment, for a split second he had made a decision. He abruptly turned around and ran out of the room, ignoring the calls of his sister. For once he wanted to do something for his own cause, not his parents. He wanted to show Jane that he can, he wanted to show the world that he is not a scared little child who had to rely on his parents.

 _So what now, James? You're running towards danger and you don't even know what to do._

James pushed open the stairwell door with his shoulder, the candles lit the stairwell enough to show that a lot of people were held up in there. James had not time to ask them or to come up with any theory to what they were doing, he quickly dodged pass the incoming bodies as he ran down the stairs.

Ground floor, he made it. Again he pushed the metal door open with his shoulder, brushing off the pain of a blunt object hitting his flesh. The apartment lobby had the same amount of people who were looking at the scene outside, everyone seemed to be interested on the action but careful enough not to get close to the wall.

"EVERYONE STAY BACK! I REPEAT! STAY BACK!" One voice roared out of the night.

He was out there in the street, the skies were lit by the rays of flashlights while the ruckus of people filled the night.

"KEEP AWAY! WE HAVE THIS UNDER CON-… GAH!" The booming voice let out a high pitched shriek, it was terrifyingly blood curdling but the voices were coinciding with choking shrieks of inhumane creatures.

The crowd broke apart in a hurry of fear, James stood there as the people divided trying to take shelter in nearby buildings. Only a few people left on the streets, including James.

James however, cannot move. He had his eyes widened at the sight of the wall that had kept him and the Times Square safe for years, it was being forced open by a swarm of humanoid creatures he had never seen before. A few of them broke through the gap of the wall, fungus like stalks growing out of their faces like giant butterflies, their limping postures as they leaned forward and sniffed the air, and it was then that gunfire began to rain the sky.

James covered both his ears and began running the other direction, but immediately stopped at his tracks when he saw that another wall had been breached. And it was closer to him than the other one.

James took a step back in a hurry when he saw five of those horrid creatures forced their bodies out of the gap smaller than they are, James whimpered and flinched in fear when he saw one of them had their arms broken and flailing after it crawled out of the small portion of the hole.

He shook his head, he needed to find his parents. He quickly ran away before any of the infected people saw him, but he already knew that he had been smelled from the start.

James saw his apartment building again as he took a glance, they were barricading the entry doors and left him outside. And there was Jane, banging on the glass panel from the inside of the lobby. James saw her eyes, panicked and filled with tears.

He took a moment to slow down and looked around Times Square, the guards were being pounced and eaten upon, the walls were slowly opening wider and wider, and right at that moment that James knew that he had fucked up. Big time.

James heard muffled screams and chokes with his ears behind his palms, all the gunfire was still deafening yet he could hear his racing heartbeat inside his ribcage. He can't breathe, his chest hurts, and he was beginning to cry.

"MOM!" James screamed, but compared to the other noise around him he was no more than a whisper. "MOM! DAD! MO-"

James stumbled and almost lost balance on his running, he looked back behind him and saw a pool of fire and glass. A black mark on the asphalt as if something had exploded, and James had been lucky to not get burned.

The explosion was loud enough to bring a few infected people to shriek again, unfortunately they had spotted James and their dead eyes were lock on the pale colored boy. The little boy ran as fast as he could from the grasps of death and pain, he ran towards a group of guard who had jumped back at his presence. James had almost tripped when they began shooting towards the infected people, the problem was that he was in the line of fire.

Before he knew it, a stray bullet caught the side of his torso. Grazing him enough to make him fall chest first to the cold hard ground, James held the side of his chest in pain, red liquid of blood began pouring out of the wound. He looked at his fingers while still laying on the asphalt ground, pale and blue and it was stained with blood. He looked at the guards once again, they took a step closer towards him while still pushing forward with their guns by shooting at the infected people.

"The noise will just attract more of 'em!" One of them said.

"Go help the kid first!" Another one said.

James felt his body being lifted by two arms, he didn't know why but he felt like he was going to black out and the last thing he'll remember was how tired he was.

"Colinson, throw another one!" A guard ordered one of his teammates.

"Got it!" The man named Colinson threw a fiery bottle towards the sky, James did not know if it had hit anything or not as he was being carried away on a shoulder of a guard.

"M-mom…" He spoke softly.

"Don't worry kid, I got you." The guard who is carrying him said. "We'll get you back to your Ma, alright?"

He had himself staring towards the other guards as he was slowly giving distance between them, his throat hurts from all the screaming, his lungs were burning, and he just wanted to close his eyes.

"Where's Lorene? Goddammit!" One of the guards yelled.

James looked around with his eyes half open, only to catch something horrific.

"LOOK OUT!" James screamed in horror, but it was too late. A fungus faced Infected had ambushed them from the side, James felt himself being thrown forward. But the man that had carried him was not so lucky.

James took his time to limp away from the scene, he tried not to look at the man who is screaming for help until his throat was slowly bitten off. James had no idea what to do now, he was hurt, tired, and it hadn't been an hour.

His chest pressed against the ground as he dragged himself forward, looking at his bruised arms he couldn't help but to stop before he hurt himself even more. He began to let himself hear the world around him, his vision were becoming clearer as he blinked rapidly. What would Jane think of him after this?

His fingers felt something cold, under him was a pool of blood.

James had himself gasping, his eyes widened in horror as he realized that in front of him was a dead body of his mother. Her body had limped and turned to face him, her long black hair was tinted with a color of faded scarlet just like her clear white face, and the dead eyes of his mother will never show love and compassion towards him again.

Now, James was dead, his soul had felt like it had gone through oblivion. Much like the woman that had raised him, died so easily. His body had frozen, he had not paid attention to his surroundings. But he knew that another fungus grown human was running towards him as he felt the ground shudder and shook at every step the monstrous being took.

James wanted to stroke her cheek, a trickle of tear fell down his chin and to the ground as he waited for his own demise. But another gunshot rang behind him, he felt his body lighten as if was being picked up. And before he knew it, Jeremiah had just carried James off the scene. Saying nothing.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

A feeling of happiness filled his insides, he had found his father at last. It has only been a few days, but the joy of relief had never felt this good. The world around him seemed to get better all of a sudden, he did not want to let go so quickly but his hands said otherwise.

James looked up to his father with both arms going limp to his side, Jane was beginning to let go before tears began to swell up to her face. James had a little staring contest between him and Jeremiah, it was awkward all of a sudden.

The breeze took their hairs to a dance, the rustling of leaves being thrown about by the cold wind filled the silence.

"Come on, let's go back…" Jeremiah spoke softly to them, his voice was reassuring yet stiff at the same time.

Jeremiah took them both by the shoulder and pulled them both away from the group of Fireflies, the ankle high grass under their feet tickled James as he looked back towards Morton who is being approached by the lady with the dirty blonde hair.

They both locked eye to eye with an unusual aura around them, Morton's face suddenly showed signs of grief and guilt. Something he had never show to anyone, or so James thought.

"Tiffany?" The woman said to him sternly. The name that she had spoken of was given a monotone, as if it was somewhere between taboo and hopeless with a slight I-knew-it-was-going-to-happen.

Morton looked down and away from the woman's gaze, the large army man with a whole crew under his supervision is currently broken and away with his thoughts. James had sworn that Morton just gave the woman a slight shook of a head, sadly he knew why.

The shorter woman frowned at him, but her frowning was immediately changed as her face contorted with fury and anger. James was waiting for Morton to get a beating, or even showers of insults. But instead, the woman did something surprising.

She had hugged him. And Morton looked like he gladly hugged back.

James noticed that they had gave distance between him and all the people out in the opening, he stood there under the tree of dead leaves with Jane and Jeremiah. He waited for one of them to say anything, a few seconds passed under the looming pale carcass of what used to be a towering birch tree.

"I'm really happy that the both of you are alive, I can't forgive myself if anything happened to you or your sister." Jeremiah said to James, before turning to Jane with a frown. "Has anything hurt you? Are you hurt somewhere?"

Jane shook his head, and Jeremiah showed signs of relief. He scratched his chin which had light colored thin strands of beard.

"Dad?" James began, his voice croaky and very hurt. He needed to drink, but not now. He felt like he needed to tell everything he had been through to his father, but his thoughts made up a question instead. "Why are you here? I thought that you were at the farm?" James said, but he was grateful for his father's presence nonetheless.

His father sighed, his arms were crossed in a clear sign of defense. "It turns out… That we had been secretly being used, I always had this feeling of suspicion a few days ago. I never noticed that half of our productivity was given to a group of robbers by the Leader, but yesterday they had suddenly attacked us, threatening to kill us if we didn't give them the farm. So in the end, we did…." Jeremiah trailed off, his last statement was clear that he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

James had his mouth shut from asking another question, instead he gave the opportunity to Jane. "What? But how did you find out?" Jane asked her father eagerly, she too had been shocked by his news.

James hid behind his thoughts again, now that he knew Amanda's theory was right it was probably best to apologize to her later. But as the farm was now gone, he had been thinking about rations and food and shelter. The farm had all of that, and it was now at the hands of a group of robbers.

Jeremiah continued his story. "They said that, now that our Leader's gone, they can have all the food to themselves as a part of their deal no longer existed. But I didn't know that he was dead, what had happened to him?" Jeremiah turned from Jane to James, his face darkened. "What had happened to Times Square?"

James gulped, but sighed in defeat. "It… Got breached again, but this time it was by a Bloater infected. I wasn't there when it happened, but when I came back the next day I found Jane still alive. I didn't saw what happened to the Leader."

Jeremiah looked away in anger, hissing "Dammit!" Under his breath.

"What luck, huh?" Jane sighed in exasperation. "Us, I mean." She added after a pause.

James nodded in agreement, he looked down to the feet as it was stepping on prickly grass. The day was a lot to take in, and he too was still confused with whatever was happening. More questions began appearing inside his head, about Morton, about the farm, about everything in the world.

He looked back towards the opening with the Fireflies and the group of farmers, they all seemed to have calmed down after a few minutes ago, which was somewhat a relief.

James looked at his father and asked, "Is Aiden here?"

"Yes, he's here." Jeremiah said simply, a pause filled the air until he asked his son. "How did you get here?"

"I was with the Fireflies." James said simply as well.

"And… What about your…" Jeremiah's voice trailed off softly, as if he was trying to keep Jane out of their conversation.

"It's still not sprouting anything. And it's alright, Jane knows." James told him, but he can't guarantee his bite mark though. He still has that fear of suddenly turning one day.

Jeremiah stared at Jane abruptly, before Jane nodded in agreement with James.

"And how are you taking this?" Jeremiah asked, James noticed the uncertainty in Jane's eyes. A glance at James suggest that she was picking her words carefully, another breeze stroked their ears and the folds of their sweat wet clothes.

"It's kind of hard to, uhm, you know, to swallow it all down…" Jane said with a bit of a stutter, she must've thought that she went too far with the metaphor.

Jeremiah looked between them at particularly nothing at all, James was beginning to feel a little weight inside his heart. Now that he suddenly remembers the few days he had been through, he quickly thought about Belle and the others. It was a little selfish of him to think of them less than what he had thought of them before, but what was he supposed to do other than moping around thinking about the past?

Jeremiah looked at his two children again, he sighed before letting his arms limp to his side. "I'm going to get you two some water and food, I think we would need to hunt a few deer if we are going to start rationing again. After this I want you both to be filled with energy, we have a long day ahead of us."

"Where are we going?" James asked quickly before Jeremiah walked off.

Jeremiah paused for a moment, hesitating with his words. "I don't know. Somewhere safe is all we need."

And with that he walked away from them, James and Jane was left to sit cross-legged on the tall grass while waiting for their meal. The grumbling sounds of their empty stomach broke the chattering of the farmers and the Fireflies, it was a bit uncomfortable to be sitting on a cold patch of grass but James had his jacket on and Jane didn't.

James glanced over to Jane, rubbing her palms against both her arms to make friction. James sighed before offering her his jacket, Jane denied, of course, but James insisted again. Finally settling that Jane wasn't that much cold, he kept his jacket to himself.

And it was then that James noticed a couple of people from both the Fireflies and the farmers was secretly taking glances at Jane, it made James really uncomfortable so he scooted closer towards the black haired girl.

Jane brushed a few strands of hair out of her eye, she noticed James's movements and settled with their current position. He noticed that his sister was clenching her fists unconsciously.

"Hey." Jane began, her voice was very soft.

"Hey." James replied back with the same exact word. But it was far softer than hers, unbeknown to him that Jane had been leaning her head closer to his, expecting to be rested on his shoulder.

"We have trucks, and guns," Jane started, pausing in the middle of her sentence. "Do you think we should bring those people in Times Square with us?" She asked.

James froze, saying nothing. He did not want to tell her that he'd rather be right there sitting on the long prickly grass than safe those who are left in their old home, but he owed Belle his life, or he thought he did. If the nurse hadn't found them at the mall they wouldn't have been alive at this very moment, but he remembered that most of the people there are scattered and lost in the outside world due to being forced with sweeping the rest of New York.

James had never seen a man whose leadership is so faulty, he had destroyed the one single place which was supposed to be his responsibility. From this moment on, he decided that the Leader was irritating, evil, and untrustworthy. But what's the point complaining about him now? He's dead, and will always be as such until the end of time.

Jane looked away sadly, her eyes were hid behind her long front hair as she looked down. "Sorry…" She muttered, not looking at him again.

James took a glance at her and sighed, he loved her to the moon and back, he wanted to protect her and would probably sacrifice everyone in the process. But he still can't get the feeling that several invisible ghosts of 'shame' is watching him at this very moment, his self-esteem dropped to zero in an instant. Now he know they were watching him, the very disappointed and angry souls of the dead, looking down at James and probably wondering why James wasn't the one who were supposed to die.

They all should have known his past sins, the sins that constructed time and shaped reality from good to worse. They were shaming him, and James knew that.

Jeremiah returned with a small cardboard box in his arms, he bend down in one knee in front of them and puts the box on the grass. His firearm put aside on the grass, a soft click of a safety button was heard.

Jeremiah frowned at the state of his twins. "I want you two to eat. Eat until the box is empty. Don't starve yourself."

"Dad, stay with us." James blurted, he stared at his father eye to eye wishing that he would.

Jeremiah hesitated before nodding at him, "Alright…"

Jeremiah sat crossed legged in front of them, he unsheathes a knifed from his coat and cut open the sellotape that sealed the top of the cardboard box. After a few ripping sounds the cardboard box was opened, James saw that the content of the box was different from all the canned food he usually had.

It was filled with rolls of bright orange carrots tied with a white dirty string which was seemed to be cleaned with water before packaging, two pieces of deep red cold meat-like object was stacked on top of each other, and one medium sized rusty metal jug with a lid securely keeping whatever in it un-spilled.

James picked up the jug first, tilting his head left and right while feeling the hard texture on his fingertips. "Is this wine?" James asked his father, his first thought came when he remembered that the farm used to grow grapes.

"It's apple juice, the grapes hadn't been blooming yet. Shame, I could do with a little wine." Jeremiah told him, he moved back a few strides and leaned his back against another tree.

"A-aren't you going to eat?" Jane asked Jeremiah, taking the roll of carrot and holding it with her two hands.

Jeremiah waved a hand at her. "I'll eat later, I only needed you to eat."

Silence came between them, James sips on his rather cool apple juice with bits of apple skin inside. He was scared of the day tomorrow brings, but he was rather glad that he had survived this long. He didn't fear death, he was afraid of what comes after.

He cuts little bits of meat with his fingers and brought it to his mouth, it was plain and rather chewy but no doubt that it was beef.

He had never thought of the time up until now, was it still morning? What day is it? What month?

"Graber!" An unfamiliar voice called out, James looked up from his empty gaze to a woman. She stood there by the edge of the forest with her dirty blonde hair streamed down her face, the wind took control of her hair whenever it passes by.

Jeremiah quickly gotten up after he saw the person who called him, he waited for his what James thought was his next instruction.

"The Fireflies have trucks by the bottom of the hill, they have MREs and other rations. I need you to pick it up." The woman said sternly, glaring from Jeremiah to James and Jane. "And get something to eat, your cheekbone is showing." The woman went back to Jeremiah.

"Alright…" Jeremiah muttered loudly, looking back to James and Jane before picking up his shotgun and went on his way. His figure slowly disappeared as he went downhill.

As the hours passed, James and Jane had been watered and fed. The sun sets down behind a leaning building on the far horizon of the world, the world was indeed dark compared to the old days were everything and everywhere was brightly colored. Come to think of it, everyone used to be living like that. Powered by almost unlimited electricity, and happiness twenty four-seven.

Now, as his father liked to call it the 'After Days', they settled with the element of fire to light their night. As the farmers gathered firewood and burned them into a large bonfire, while scowling at the lack of help from the Fireflies.

James never left Jane's side by sundown, he knew not to let her out of sight. But she had gone and went with Tyler and Amanda, who are seemed to be fighting again since Amanda refused to talk to him.

James didn't blame him of course, he looked back at the time when he chops of Amanda's arm. No hesitation, he needed to do what's right. But what if she was immune as well? Would that make him psychopathic? When he did it he only felt a surge of adrenaline, no disgust whatsoever.

What is wrong with him?

His thoughts went away when he heard shuffling against the grass, pairs of boots gathered as a half circle in front of the bonfire. The farmers had been called on a meeting, as it may seem. James stood up from the patch of grass that he had sat and watched from behind, he noticed Aiden in the distance, the bulky man stood by the edge of the forest almost unseen from the lack of light.

Jane, Amanda, and Tyler wasn't there too.

James finally knew who the leader-woman was, at first he had thought that she was Tiffany's mother, which only gave him nightmares of her finding out what had actually happened. But it turns out that it was Tiffany's aunt, who goes by her surname Rivera, what had happened to her mother he never finds out.

Rivera stood closer to the bonfire, sparks of flames flew in every direction near her. Her face was dimly lit as she stood with her back against the source of light, she stared at the crowd of farmers in front of her with each holding their own gun. The Fireflies watched from the distance to hear what she has to say, even Morton did too.

"Tomorrow we will set foot on a few mile trip towards north, away from Manhattan. Rumor said that there is one bridge left which hasn't been bombed in the two thousand thirteenth, that is our way out of here. Out of the island we will have larger forest to construct our next farm, less buildings and towers around us which means that it is less likely for Infected to be roaming around. We can built new homes there, built taller fences, and grow more food!" Rivera trailed off, observing her crowd before sighing to herself. "Our home is now lost, we have been betrayed, and your families could be dead or worse! We are going to change that! We will finally have our safe haven, away from the Infected, away from danger. Somewhere isolated and protected, somewhere where we can built our old days back! We can-"

"STOP!" Someone interrupted, with voice rather shaky and angry. James saw a man stood in front of a crowd, "THAT'S WHAT HE SAID! AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!"

Everyone was shocked, rather confused and somehow understood. All of the Fireflies stopped at what they were doing, and looked at the scene. The bonfire kept burning tall, hotter and hotter was the temperature.

"JUST STOP! STOP FUCKING GIVING US LIES! NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE AND WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE! I want to go home…" The man's voice trailed away, his group backs up from him and still saying nothing. The man looked down and sobbed at the grass, Rivera's dancing shadow towered over him. She stood there unflinching, gazing at the man in front of her.

James was rooted to place, the shouting of the man kept ranging inside his head. He bit his bottom lip, trying to stop himself from cringing.

The man walked away from bonfire with his rifle, his figure disappeared in the darkness of the forest. The Fireflies began to mutter at one another, they all exchanged glances. But what came to a surprise was Rivera's un-reaction, James saw her wave a hand and the crowd. And the crowd slowly walked away from the bonfire. Rivera didn't seemed like she wanted to talk about what had just happened, instead she just stood there unmoving until the wind decided to come.

James looked around him, he can't actually see it, but he knew that people are scared.

"Hey kid." Morton's voice came to greet him suddenly, he walked up to James from behind. His black leather jacket gleamed from the fire, his boots stomped the ground as he walks.

James glanced up at him, before looking back at the bonfire again.

Morton cleared his throat "These men, these people, what do you think of them?"

James thought for a moment, while his unblinking eyes was fixed towards the burning ambers. "I-I don't know…" He finally settled.

Morton nodded curtly, moving his body uncomfortably.

"To me, they are stupid bunch of animals, men or women. Panicky and greedy, and that was the old times where they have everything. But now, they throw away all their humanity just for the sake of their own lives." Morton said, his voice was softer than James had heard of.

"Humanity doesn't exist, good and evil is just in the perspective of a human. In the end they rely on instinct, I read about it in a book." James said nonchalantly, not wanting to get a lecture from Morton of all people.

"Is that how you think of them? How about that girl you're with before? What do you call that?" Morton asked him.

James said nothing, he had no actual reply to that. What was his relationship with Jane, is what he felt was instinct as well?

Hearing from James's silence, Morton continued. "Humans don't have instincts, animals do. If all you gotta do is eat, sleep, and breed, then that's instinct. Humans however, are far worse, because they can do whatever the fuck they want."

"Look, Morton, I don't know what you're implying here, but-"

"All I'm trying to say is that scared people do stupid things, and you need to understand that because that is what you're doing right now. You are scared for her safety, and I respect that. I just wanted to thank you." Morton explained, his voice trailing off in the process.

James quickly glanced up at him again, eyes widened and dumbfounded. "What?"

"Look at these people. Look at that man before. Imagine what you could do with your immunity, you can wipe out all the fear in the world." Morton said, his eyes gleaming in ablaze.

James glanced down again. "You said that there will be risks."

"Oh, there are, and yet you seemed to be so fucking headstrong with it. What happened to that?" Morton asked again.

"I guess, I'm just doubting…" James muttered.

Morton paused for a moment, he didn't answer at once. "There is something I have to tell you." Morton said.

"What is it?"

"It's about the procedure for the cure, you won't need much to do it. You only need to give your life, if you're unlucky." Morton said "But I support your decisions, and I'm glad that someone is actually about to do something."

Morton, was actually pretty nice, James thought. He didn't know what to feel anymore, hesitation? Fear? Or happiness knowing someone was actually there to support him. The ghosts, the guilt, adds up to the more reason for doing this. Now he had realized, that he isn't just going to save his sister, he's going to save the world.

"What do you mean, that I need to give my life?" James asked.

"A lot of people was immune, from what I've heard, and they all failed with a great costs. It was a waste of effort, bringing all the immunes and raising them like pig for slaughter. And you, you don't even have to be forced! I actually don't know how to feel about that." Morton said, crossing his arms.

"Who's Marlene? When you said she's got another immune person at Boston." James said, suddenly remembering the days before.

Morton chuckled, before shaking his head with a smile. "You could say that she is queen Firefly, long may she reign." Morton said with a hint of exaggeration, then he sighed. "It's true that there's more. But what we do, is not actually very public. If we began sending up brochures, people will come raiding us for a cure that doesn't even exists."

"So… I won't be alone then?" James muttered, feeling a bit glad. "Who is the other one? The one from Boston, I mean."

Morton shrugged. "You need to ask Marlene yourself, what we do here doesn't have anything involved in Boston."

James felt a sudden realization, he never thought about what the Fireflies were doing, now might be the best time. "What _were_ you doing when you got here?"

Morton didn't answer, he looked guilty from his facial expressions. "What we do here… Marlene doesn't know. I owed someone and decided to bring my crew along, they weren't with me at first. But when they met you, everyone was on board."

"Oh…" Was all James could say, he crossed his arms as well.

"You know, your sister reminds me of someone." Morton said, changing the subject from their previous conversation. "She looked just like my late wife when she was young. Well… Not exactly late…" His facial expression changed again into grief.

James however was very interested. "You have a family?"

"Yeah, actually I do." Morton put his hand on one of his jacket's pocket and took out a small folded photo, he offered the picture to James.

James took the folded photo and opened it. It was a bit faded to grey with and a little unseen from the darkness, but he could make out two people in the picture; a young man with a clean shaven face with a jet black hair which was obviously young Morton, and a young shorter woman with medium length black hair resting against his chests. Both were smiling at the camera, and both were wearing what looked like a t-shirts.

James smiled to himself, it was did happier back then. He imagined himself in that position, with a mystery woman by his side.

"Here." James said to Morton, folding the photo back to its original state and handed it to Morton.

But Morton waved a hand at him. "Keep it, kid. I've been trying to give it away to someone rather than throwing it, it brings back too much memories." Morton said the last part with the softest tone he had ever used, then he walked away from the scene saying nothing else.

James looked at the piece of folded photo in his hand, his focus was broken when he heard another footstep approaching him. He looked from his shoulder and saw Jane, walking up to him.

"What were you two talking about?" Jane asked curiously, she stopped right beside him and held his hand with hers.

James glanced down at the photo Morton just gave him. "Nothing important. But he gave me this."

Jane looked at the photo in James's hand, she grasped the photo with her fingers and unfolded it.

James rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. "I-it's just his old family photo, who knew he had a wife, huh?"

James looked back at Jane, her eyes narrowed at the photo but widened in realization. She glanced up to James and back down at the photo, "His wife?"

"Yeah… What is it?" James cocked his eyebrow in response.

Jane made a look of disbelief at him, then she put the photo right in front of his face and pointed at the raven haired woman.

"James! This is MOM!"

* * *

 ** _DUNDUNDUUN! WHAT?!_**

 ** _And that's it for this chapter folks, please give that review box some feelings, pour your thoughts into it, and share it with everybody else. I also take challenges, if you have one let me know._**

 ** _Again... Leave a review plz, 10 review? And then I will have enough determination. Plz..._**

 ** _Follow if you want to see more..._**

 ** _And as always, stay awesome, bros... (blaaargh!)_**


	10. Bang Bang

**_Little author's note : Again, I do not have a beta and I don't know how to get one (Fuck me, right?) So spelling and grammar mistakes are nigh, and i am dearly sorry for it._**

 ** _Anyway_**

 ** _Onto the story!_**

* * *

 **THEN...**

* * *

James gripped his blood soaked shirt, looking down blankly at his pale and cold hands. He loosens his grip on the bottom of his shirt, feeling himself getting weaker andweaker from knowing the inevitability of being killed by the people he thought he knew. James couldn't help but to release a dry laugh as he thought of how funny that everything could go wrong in a matter of days, it's really ironic that he had thought his life was more than lucky when he had found out he was immune.

James sat there in the candlelit room of his apartment, no one was allowed to enter as he was left there with his thoughts. James could hear the screams of his sister as she was being restrain from seeing him, meanwhile he had himself figuring a way to escape death's reach even though he can't stop seeing it every five seconds.

James could feel himself wither away, even though he's not dead. He could feel that he was dying inside, the fact that a feeling of hopelessness was eating his very soul was not helping as well.

He was not bit. He kept telling himself, he knew that he was immune, of course. But how can he tell them that? He has no proof, and they wouldn't believe him even if they did. James was smart enough to know that people would do anything to ensure their survival, and if he wants to survive he can't stay. Someone might kill him if he did.

But he didn't want to survive. He just wanted to live. Like the way he did before everything that has happened.

James had not realize that a drop of tear streamed down his cheek, he can't get the cries of Jane out of his head. And what was Amanda and Belle doing?

After all his apocalypse novels, after all his zombie comics. Now he know that the humans before the pandemic had not expected that everything they build had gone away to nature, he envies them. How could they get to live with air conditioners when he was sitting uncomfortably in the world?

James looked at the window, he could get out there. But what about Jane? Plus, he doesn't know if he would fall to his death. Could he tackle the guards outside? Of course not, he wasn't living in _Savage Starlight_.

"DAMMIT!" James cried out all of the air from his lungs out. His head jerked forward as he burst out in fury, but calming down as he asked himself. What was he doing?

There was no way out, he is going to get executed in the morning. How else could he convince them to let him live? Will they going to take him to their custody for two days if he wanted them too? Living their lives in fear as an infected walks among them.

Maybe he should let things go as it is, maybe they would change their mind. Maybe they would exile him instead, making him live his life alone and afraid.

"Belle are you stupid?! We will absolutely not going to keep him here!" The roaring voice broke the silence. "HE. IS. BITTEN. How many times should I explain it to you?!"

"We gave Margie a chance! What's the harm in-"

"WE GAVE MARGIE A CHANCE AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! IF WE KEEP HIM ALIVE SOMEONE ELSE WILL GET FUCKING BITTEN!" The voice screamed, which seemed to be belonging to an older woman. James flinched when he heard the loud thundering noise, they were pretty angry at him and anyone who supported him. What did they do to Jane, though? He hoped that nothing happens to her.

James looked away from the door before standing up and walked towards the sofa, he hesitantly sat on it before resting his chin on his knuckles. He began thinking of something else, he thought about the cordyceps.

And once he thought about it, his anger burned like flames. Fourteen years he had lived with them, ignoring the fact they are tearing his world apart. It wasn't the people's fault, it was theirs. Everything horrible that has happened was always because of them, why didn't he hate them from the start?

They killed his mother, and that was all the reason he needed to wipe them out. Why didn't he just kill them when he had the chance?

No, he knows why. Because he didn't stood a chance against them, but now, knowing that he was a cure, was more than pleased to obliterate them from the face of the earth.

Tiffany, Margie, and Amanda had got bit. Amanda survived but he didn't know how long she would survive, and he can't afford Jane to be bit as well. Their neighbors, all had died because of him, he still can't get the feeling that he was responsible out of him.

No, it was Tiffany's fault. She shouldn't have left in the first place.

It was his fault, he could've stopped her.

Was it Jane's fault? She should've told him.

No, it was his fault for not knowing.

James sighed, stopping his inner argument. Now it was too late, what was he supposed to do now? His stomach lurched uncontrollably, and he didn't know why. His heartbeat fastened and his lungs are suffocating, he felt like he was going to pass out. He never felt this much stress in years, it was painful.

He clenched his fists and put them against his chest, pounding on his outer ribcage to stop himself from unwanted vomiting. He was getting weaker, he could feel his body getting thinner and thinner every second.

He could've died when he was outside, he could've died a million ways before right this second. But why was it now that hurts the most? Why was the suspense of death only occur to him now? Was it because he knew what would kill him? His own people?

He was sweating, he was sick, and he was scared. And the worst of all, he wanted to piss so badly.

* * *

 **NOW...**

* * *

James groaned in his sleep, he knew because he was starting to wake up. Feeling the prickly grass under his hair he scratched the back of his head, wiping off dirt and grass that had stick when he slept.

By the looks of his surrounding, it was way earlier than morning, _morning-er_. The sunlight was already seen, but it did not light up the whole grey sky.

He was surprised when he saw beside him Amanda instead of Jane, her hair was bushier than ever and her expressions were unrecognizable as ever. The girl leaned her back against a tree while watching him from the corner of her eye, the bandage on her missing arm had been changed when James realized that it was cleaner than before.

"What time is it?" James asked her, lifting his head off the ground.

"Half-past fuck it…" Amanda replied, her voice was soft and low.

James did not bother to ask again, instead he was surprised that she was looking pretty normal. Considering the world, the past, and the unknowable future.

James heard a lot of rustlings in the grass, the sound of boots were everywhere. Out in the opening he saw that the farmers, along with Rivera, were carrying their cardboard boxes out of the area. The Fireflies were being huddled up by Morton, they were listening closely to him as he talked.

"What are they doing?" James asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Please explain…" James said, almost rolling his eyes.

"We're moving, isn't that what you wanted to do?" Amanda took a glance at him.

"What?" James asked again, puzzled.

"You're going to save the world and all that, Jane said that you're immune. Is that true?"

James nodded. "Yeah, hard to believe, I know."

Amanda shrugged. "You haven't showing signs of infection, and by the looks of it your face is as shitty as ever."

James breathed out his lungs, he stood up from where he had slept. He looked around him, but something caught his eye. It was Tyler, the British boy stood across from where James was. It wasn't anything special, it was that Tyler's glare was intense, hateful. The wind went through their air, the cold temperature brought James to shivers.

"W-why is he looking at me like that?" James almost stuttered, he took a step back as if Tyler was about to pounce him.

Amanda sighed. "I told him what happened, now he's like in between the line of killing you and thanking you."

James felt his heart dropped, instead of trying to talk with Tyler he walked away from the scene. Leaving Amanda looking at him with concern, which was the first for him.

A few minutes later James lifted his pants up and closed his zipper, he grabbed his jacket and carried it by his shoulder. As he walked downhill his footsteps crushed the dry leaves below him, he looked around him and saw only autumn turned leaves. Autumn had come, but why wasn't he feeling any happier? It was cooler than most days, and warmer than winter. Plus, with all of the world going on, he could use a little happiness.

He went back to the forest opening where he had slept, his backpack was still there. He carried on his shoulder and went on his way downhill again.

In front of him he saw, the tabby ginger cat again. Stopping by a cobblestone road while in front of it was a carcass of a deer, the ginger cat curiously sniffed it nose on the dead animal. James took a step forward again, while carefully not to startle it he accidentally stepped on a piece of twig.

The ginger cat turned its head towards him, looking at him intensely. James moved forward again, and the ginger cat disappeared towards the woods.

James continued his walk and ends up where the Fireflies had parked their truck, it was curious that they decided not to use it for the journey ahead. James guessed that either the gas had been drained, or the battery had been too old to use.

James walked out of the park and to the streets, he was careful not to step on a trench on the road. After a few strides he scraped off the moss that had been in his shoes as he walked, when he looked up he saw that the more buildings than the ones he saw in Times Square looked like it was going to fall on itself anytime soon. He knew that New York had tried to be bombed twenty years ago, but he was surprised to see none of the buildings had fell down.

He looked around, trying to search where the Fireflies are. The farmers and the Fireflies both had packed away from the park, but James was left there by himself when he decided to take a little private time.

As he looked around he saw that the people he was looking for was gathering at an intersection, rusty cars all around them that had been crashed at each other was used as a seating for them. They looked like they were circling Rivera again as she gave another heads up on the plan, James joined them and looked around to find Jane.

"-then we will head to Willis Ave Bridge, the Fireflies had told me that they came to town through there so there's a high chance that we can use it as well." Rivera said, with her usual stern voice. "Though they will not come with us, we can manage with our own. Our destination is Pelham Bay Park where we are closest to the ocean and hectares we can use to build our new civilization."

James looked down, Rivera seemed to have planned it all. But what he should do now, he was unsure. He began to realize the difficulty of explain to his father that he must leave New York and go whatever place the Fireflies have for him, to make him into a 'maybe' cure.

"James." Said a soft voice behind him, James saw that it was his sister Jane.

James waited for her to continued, and the she spoked. "Dad wants to talk to you."

James nodded and followed her away from the crowd, James noticed that Jeremiah was waiting for him with his arms crossed. The ground level was lower than before, the asphalt had almost sunken to the ground with little bits of grass growing from its cracks.

James brushed the bottom of his shoes on the gravel under him, nervously looking at his father. Jeremiah had his shotgun with him, which was rested on top of the rusted car.

"You said you want to go with the Firefly?" Jeremiah said, pointing his head towards Morton, who is with his band of Fireflies.

James could only nod, he wanted to stand to what he thought was good. He wanted all of his guilt to stop, he don't want anyone else to die again.

"You can't, James. Do you understand that?" Jeremiah said sternly, looking at James straight in the eye.

James braved himself to look at his father back. "I need to do this! You are the one who don't understand! I can't let anyone else die!" He snapped.

"That is not your responsibility! What we need to do now is to survive!" Jeremiah said trough gritted teeth. "We have been that way for fourteen years, James!"

"And we'll survive longer if I do go!" James yelled, anger blurring his vision. His head going in and about at what he should say next, why won't Jeremiah agree with him? He was doing the right thing! He doesn't want to feel guilty anymore, he doesn't want to feel hurt anymore.

"NO! WE NEED YOU SAFE! AS YOUR FATHER-"

"MY FATHER, HUH?!"

"STOP!"

James felt his arms were being pulled back, Jane pulled him back with all her might. Bringing him down as she tackled his brother, James sat on his buttocks in disbelief. Looking at her then to his father, he waited for what to happen next.

"Dad, stop!" Jane said stiffly, shielding James.

Jeremiah glanced at James from Jane's shoulder, he tried to calm himself. "James, listen to me, you can't do this. It is far too dangerous and risky, those Fireflies don't even know what they are doing. We are going with Rivera and that's it." Jeremiah said in a more formal tone.

James looked away from him, now his instincts were telling him to do whatever the hell he wants. But a part of him thought about the imminent death ahead, was he ready to face that? Not to mention other who will die because of him.

No, too many people has gone because of the fungus, they can't be forgiven that easily. He just wanted to make it easy for him to live his life again, but no more threats and fear.

"I… I don't want to." James said, trying to make his point. "I can't just let it slide, this isn't for me it's for Jane. And everyone in the world."

Jeremiah and Jane stared at him, their face darkened.

"I don't want to live like this… I wanted to live like how it was in your time, no fear just happiness. And… Nobody has to die again, and I don't have to feel guilty for it…" James explained, looking up with full confidence.

If it was for everyone, sure. If it was for him, okay. But this was for Jane, the one he loved the most. His sister, no matter what the photo says.

Jeremiah glared at him. "You're not serious…" He muttered.

"I am, and will do this. Either with you or without you." James said, and what he said hurts.

"I can't lose you too!" Jeremiah exclaimed.

"Then help me! Make this easy for me!" James told his father, he was starting to stand up.

Jane only stood in silence, looking at her brother with full concern. She intertwined her fingers with his, assuring him that she was supporting him.

Jeremiah shuffled at his feet, crossing his arms again. He stared at James and Jane for a while, eyebrows furrowing in desperation. It was as if he was thinking of another way to convince James, and Jane too.

 **BANG!**

A sudden gunshot rang, soon followed by another gunshots and another gunshot. James hesitated for a moment, still confused with what to do, he then decided to get behind the car. Jeremiah and Jane crouched beside him, they saw that both the Fireflies and the farmers are panicking and spreading around to get some cover.

James did not think of peeking his head, when a stray bullet bounced off the asphalt near him. He looked around to find Amanda and Tyler, but they are covered by the traffic of dead cars.

"Dammit, Robbers!" Jeremiah hissed in anger, clutching his shotgun tightly.

"That's a whole mess of 'em!" Someone from the farmers group shouted.

"Stay in cover! We need to get out of here!" Rivera's voice screamed.

Someone fought back, it was a man from the Fireflies, shooting his automatic rifle at the attacker. James and Jane was dragged by Jeremiah by the arm and was brought away from the car, they moved location and away from Robbers.

"IT'S THOSE FUCKERS FROM BEFORE!" One of the Robbers screamed, shooting a bullet towards the window of a random car.

Another Firefly lifted his rifle from the side of the car and began shooting too, soon the streets were filled with gunshots and breaking windows.

James took a quick glance at Jane, she jumped a bit whenever a gunshot was heard. James took her wrist and quickly followed his father to another car, Jane shrieked in fear when the windshield made contact with a bullet.

"What now?!" James screamed to his father.

"We'll create a distraction! You two need to leave! NOW!" Jeremiah ordered them, then he ran off somewhere towards his friends.

James heard another bullet bouncing off the asphalt, he quickly grabbed Jane and brought her further from the gunfight.

A wooshing sound came down on top of him, he was more than familiar to what it was. James immediately stopped in his tracks, grabbing Jane by the wrists to stop her from running towards the fiery pool of alcohol that had just burst out of a Molotov.

Jane shrieked in utter shock, they circled back before going on another route.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Rivera's voice mixed into the air. When he looked around the city he realized that the Robbers were coming from every direction, they were circled. James couldn't see but he knew that they were all split up, forced to survive on their own.

They both ran towards the nearest car, but immediately stopped in their tracks when he saw a Robber in a dirty torn jacket in front of them.

"Shit!" The Robber yelped as he raised his sawed off shotgun, but James and Jane had retreated quickly before getting shot. James couldn't help but jump forward when the shotgun shells hit the car behind him, he could only focus on keeping Jane safe.

James held his chest and tried to stop his adrenaline from killing him, they both hid behind a car while hearing the Robber getting closer towards them. James felt an object under his palm, a cracked piece of asphalt as big as a brick.

Without thinking, he chucked the brick towards the incoming Robber's head. The Robber dozed off and held his head in pain while hissing, it was their opportunity.

"NOW!" James said as he dashed forward, pushing the Robber backwards with his momentum.

The Robber landed with a thud and the sawed off shotgun flew away from his hand, James made a run for it before the Robber could get up. Jane followed suite as they took a refuge at a nearby abandoned bakery.

They both crouched behind the counter, waiting for anyone to come through the front door. James checked at his shotgun while arms are still shaking, it had three shotgun shells left and he needed to make every shot count. No hesitation, he needed to get Jane out alive.

"James!" Jane hissed to his ear, hands trembling as she put her palm under his. "What do we do now?"

James paused for a bit, thinking for a way out. "We'll get out of here first, then we look for dad!"

Jane nodded curtly. "Alright…"

James took the way around the back, he could still hear the gunfight on the street. The Robbers weren't dead yet, but the farmers had retreated.

The back of the bakery smelled awful, but it doesn't matter, he needed to find a way out. Unfortunately the door to the back of the building had been barricaded with shelving units and chairs, the whole place seemed like it had been thrown apart.

He looked around and saw a window to the back alley above the stove. "Through here!" James told Jane, he opened the window lock and climbed out of the bakery, he helped Jane out as he looked around the area.

"I think it's safe." James said, scanning the overgrown alley. He tried listening to any Clickers or Infected but heard nothing, when Jane safely got out of the window he straightened his backpack and began running towards the alley on the right.

"HEY!" A barking voice suddenly said, James had no time to react as he was being shoved to the ground. He heard Jane's thunder stricken scream nearby.

He can't help but to fall under the weight of the man and his backpack, before he could reach the shotgun that flew out of his hand he was being chokehold by the Robber.

"I GOT ONE! AGH-" The man's voice trailed away, right before a loud noise of a shotgun filled the alley.

James was released, and the Robber was dead with a new hole on the back of his head. He saw Jane holding the sawed off, she must've shot the man because she looked very terrified after doing it.

"Jane, we need to go!" James said without hesitation, pulling Jane by the hand and brought her away from the scene. He could not think of a way to settle her down at the time, he was too occupied from trying to keep his sister alive.

"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!" A Robber ambushed them from the alley corner.

James lifted his sawed off shotgun, ready to fire. But was immediately frozen when two others appeared behind them, the three of them held a firearm and only an idiot would engage in this situation.

James was literally shaking madly, he was back to back with Jane behind him. He shielded her from them, ready to face whatever the three of them wanted to do.

"Shit, Felix's dead." An African-American said, poking a dead Robber's body with his foot.

The other robber looked from him to James. "You'll pay for that!" The Robber said bitterly.

James had his eyes locked on the bitter Robber, his gaze was currently saying 'Bring It!'

But they were all frozen and rooted to the ground in surprise when a Clicker burst out of nowhere and jumped on the Robber at the corner of the alley, James and Jane couldn't help but to look at the horrible scene where the Robber's neck was being bitten off.

James looked back at the two Robbers in front of him, he lifted his shotgun up and closed his eyes, ready to kill a man for the first time. He fired the shell and it exploded with a loud bang, the shell hits one of the Robber on the side of his torso.

The last Robber acted quickly, the rifle that he held was used to hit James painfully on the chin. James stumbled back in pain, holding the stinging pain on his chin. But for a split second, he knew that the last man was ready to shoot his gun at him.

James shielded his head with his arm instinctively, but the bullet from the rifle had missed as Jane suddenly pushed the Robber away.

"You little-!" His words were immediately cut off when Jane had kicked him under the crotch. The Robber dropped to his knees in pain.

Jane had turned her attention back to James and lifted him by the shoulder, James shook her off and ran with her the other way.

Unfortunately the Robber wasn't dead, but was hurt enough for them to escape. James and Jane ran from the scene, trying not hearing the pleading of the man as the Clicker changed its prey.

James and Jane was now out of the alleyway, and back to the streets. They did not know where they are, this part of the city was alien to them. He looked around and saw nothing, they did not even heard any gunfight around them.

Jane was still shaking uncontrollably, gripping James's hand tightly. His knuckles were beginning to whiten, as he clenched his fist while trying to hold down his stress. He was lost, in a big city full of dangerous men and deadly fungus.

He waited for a miracle, but nothing came. Instead, came a loud explosion from beside him. He was pushed back by unknown force, and landed on his shoulder painfully. He held his ears, trying to stop them from ringing uncomfortably.

"James!" A muffled voice of Jane spoke, his vision was blurry but he could tell that she was leaning down on him.

"James, you need to get up! James!" Jane was cut off as she let out a loud gasp, a stray bullet had just missed her by a few inches.

James could not take it anymore, he was in pain and exhausted. All he wanted to do was to sleep and everything will get better, his mind ignored the screams of Jane and his body refused to move no matter how hard he tried.

The darkness consumed him.

* * *

 ** _I apologize for the inconvenience, I know you have waited long for this chapter, and there you have it._**

 ** _Leave a review and I will soon update more._**


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